BC RMT Workforce Alliance

I don't know if there's a good way to segue (not to be confused with Segway) into this discussion... but, did you now the trucking industry is having the same issues the RMT industry is having around misclassification of workers?
Misclassification of workers in both Trucking and Allied Healthcare.
Drivers Inc A Surprisingly Similar Story to RMT Inc.
The federal government has described worker misclassification in the trucking industry as exploitation.
So why are we willing to have that conversation about trucking, but not healthcare?
I wrote a blog about it here:
https://www.mapleridgermt.ca/resources/truckers-drivers-inc-share-misclassified-workers-woes-with-bc-rmts

Quote from the CBC Article Crackdown On 'Out of Control' Trucking Loophole Promised In Upcoming Federal Budget.

“I want to be very clear: misclassification is exploitation. It strips workers of their rights, and it creates an uneven playing field for the many honest companies that follow the rules,” Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said at a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday.
“Too often, it is vulnerable workers who are hit the hardest. Many of them are newcomers to Canada who have trusted that the system will protect them.”
Link to full CBC article in comments.

Workforce structure affects safety, accountability, labour protections, and ultimately patient care.

Benefits Fraud, Healthcare Stewardship, and the RMT Workforce
An Open Letter to Benefits Providers.

https://www.mapleridgermt.ca/resources/benefits-fraud-healthcare-stewardship-amp-the-rmt-workforce


WorkSafeBC Pacific Blue Cross BC Federation of Labour

Benefits Fraud, Healthcare Stewardship, & The RMT Workforce. — RMT Jennifer An Open Letter To Health Benefits Providers I am reaching out because I believe an important aspect of the recent discussions surrounding massage therapy benefits has been largely overlooked. Because benefit providers are responsible for administering and safeguarding employer-funded health benefi

Congratulations to Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba Inc.

🎉 A Historic Day for Massage Therapy in Manitoba 🎉

The Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba (MTAM) is pleased to acknowledge that the Government of Manitoba has formally designated Massage Therapy as a regulated health profession under The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA).

This milestone has been many years in the making and reflects the dedication, advocacy, leadership, and commitment of massage therapists, volunteers, educators, professional associations, and stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to advance the profession.

Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for massage therapy in Manitoba.

While additional details regarding implementation, timelines, and next steps are still forthcoming, MTAM is actively monitoring developments and will continue to keep members informed as more information becomes available.

We know many RMTs will have questions, and we remain committed to supporting the profession throughout this transition.

Today, we celebrate this important achievement and the many individuals who helped make it possible.

More updates to come. https://mtam.mb.ca/about-mtam/road-to-regulation/

The Complete 10 Part Infographic Contract Analysis Series For BC RMTs and other misclassified workers. 🫶

A significant portion of the BC massage therapy workforce appears to be misclassified as independent contractors despite working within employer-like business structures. Clinic owners frequently retain substantial control over pricing, scheduling, billing, clinic policies, administrative systems, branding, and business operations while responsibility and legal risk remain with individual RMTs.

This separation of control from accountability is a central theme of throughout this advocacy project.

Aligning classification with actual control could create clearer responsibility for workplace safety, reporting, return-to-work support, anti-harassment policies, due process, employment standards, benefits, leave, workplace accountability, labour protections, and healthcare stewardship.

Today I sent the advocacy project information package to the BC Nurses' Union because I believe there is an important connection between the current negotiations surrounding massage therapy benefits and the workforce structures responsible for delivering those services.

Current discussions and negotiations have focused on proposed changes to massage therapy benefits and how those benefits should be structured. I believe an equally important question has received far less attention: Do the workforce structures responsible for delivering massage therapy services promote healthcare stewardship, workplace accountability, and clinically appropriate utilization?"

A significant portion of the BC massage therapy workforce appears to be misclassified as independent contractors despite working within employer-like business structures. Clinic owners frequently retain substantial control over pricing, scheduling, clinic policies, administrative systems, branding, and business operations while responsibility and legal risk remain with individual RMTs.

This separation of control from accountability is one of the central issues examined throughout this advocacy project.

This workforce structure may create financial incentives that favour treatment volume over clinical necessity. It also leaves many RMTs without employment protections, independent reporting mechanisms, or meaningful protection from retaliation if they raise concerns about unsafe practices, inappropriate business expectations, or the over-utilization of insured healthcare benefits.

One observation that has emerged throughout this project is the normalization of the phrase, "use up your benefits before the end of the year."

That language reflects more than a marketing message. It reflects a shift in how care is framed. The decision to seek treatment becomes driven by the existence of insurance coverage rather than the presence of clinical need.

We would not typically encourage patients to use prescription medications or other insured healthcare services simply because benefits remain available at the end of the year. Yet within massage therapy, benefit-driven utilization has become sufficiently normalized that many patients report difficulty obtaining appointments late in the year because demand is driven by expiring coverage rather than clinical need.

At the same time, there are well-documented disciplinary cases involving false insurance claims by both practitioners and claimants. While these cases represent individual misconduct, they also raise broader questions about the systems, incentives, and accountability structures in which care is delivered.

One of the recurring findings of this project is that RMTs often recognize these concerns but have no practical way to report them without risking retaliation or the loss of their livelihood. Without meaningful labour protections or independent reporting mechanisms, concerns about inappropriate utilization, workplace safety, or unethical business practices frequently remain private rather than becoming opportunities for quality improvement and healthcare stewardship.

This advocacy project is about examining how workforce structure influences workplace safety, ethical practice, accountability, patient protection, healthcare stewardship, and the long-term sustainability of employer-funded health benefits.

These issues extend beyond the massage therapy profession. They are relevant to labour organizations, healthcare professionals, regulators, employers, insurers, and government.
That is why I believe the BC Nurses' Union has an important role in this broader conversation.

BC Nurses' Union BC Federation of Labour WorkSafeBC

Recognizing clinic owners as employers is not an attack on clinics. It may be the clearest way to recognize the real value clinics already provide, while aligning control, responsibility, labour protections, safety systems, and accountability.

Clinics are so important that we should stop pretending they are merely collections of unrelated independent businesses sharing a roof.

Clinics are more than treatment rooms. They provide the infrastructure that makes healthcare possible. They carry the lease, build the practice, manage reception, scheduling, billing, supplies, patient flow, and workplace policies. Many also determine fees, hiring, operational procedures, and significant aspects of how the workplace functions.

Those are not incidental roles. They are fundamental healthcare workplace functions.

The problem is not that clinics have control. In many cases, they need a significant degree of control to operate safely, efficiently, and consistently.

The problem arises when clinics exercise many of the characteristics commonly associated with an employer while RMTs remain classified as independent contractors. Workers assume the risks of self-employment without the corresponding autonomy, labour protections, workplace safety structures, reporting pathways, or accountability systems that typically accompany employment relationships.

If clinics function as healthcare workplaces, then we should be willing to talk honestly about what that means.

Employment does not erase professional accountability. Nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, and many other regulated health professionals work as employees while continuing to meet professional standards and regulatory obligations.

The question is not whether clinics matter.
They do.

The question is whether our legal and workplace structures have kept pace with the reality of how many clinics already operate.
Perhaps recognizing clinics as employers is not about giving them more power. Perhaps it is about recognizing the responsibility they already carry, and ensuring that responsibility, accountability, and worker protections are aligned with the way many clinics already function.

Aligning classification with actual control could create clearer responsibility for workplace safety, reporting, return-to-work support, anti-harassment policies, due process, employment standards, benefits, leave, and workplace accountability.

This isn't about diminishing the value of clinics.
It's about recognizing their value honestly.
It may also be one of the most practical ways to build a safer, stronger, and more sustainable profession.

Clinics As Workplaces: Aligning Control, Responsibility, Safety, & Accountability. — RMT Jennifer Recognizing clinic owners as employers is not an attack on clinics. It may be the clearest way to recognize the real value clinics already provide, while aligning control, responsibility, labour protections, safety systems, and accountability. Clinics are so important that we should stop pretendin