Bargaining Update: AgeCare Walden Heights Local 048, Chapter 031
AgeCare has, once again, parted ways with its negotiator. This means that negotiations at AgeCare Walden Heights are in a temporary state of limbo while the employer works to hire a third negotiator.
The employer’s negotiator had a final day on the job on Sept. 1, which forced us to cancel our bargaining dates on Sept. 9 and 10. AgeCare is currently in the hiring process for a new negotiator.
Our next bargaining dates are Oct. 14 and 15 for GSS, and Oct. 27 and 28 for Nursing Care. The employer has indicated to your negotiations teams that they expect to fill the position before those bargaining dates.
Your negotiations team is frustrated by the employer’s stalling. When we meet for the next Nursing Care bargaining dates, those will be the 10th and 11th days of bargaining—and we’ll need to spend much of that time just bringing the new negotiator up to speed on previous rounds. Normally, negotiations like this are settled much faster.
The employer is expecting us to cave in to these delays, and accept a weak deal so that we can get back to normal. Our message, that we’ve been hearing from our co-workers at Walden, is clear—we’re not going to accept a bad deal. We are sick and tired of being the lowest-paid workers in our field, and we aren’t going to settle for a deal that prolongs the status quo. We want change, and we’re ready to fight for it.
Rally this weekend a success
This weekend, we showed the employer how serious we are. We rallied together in front of our worksite, and we showed our unity.
Our pressure is working. The employer is stalling because they are afraid of going up against a united workforce. From the time that we first marched to our boss and presented our bargaining demands, they have known that we mean business. There’s nothing more frightening to an employer at the negotiating table than a united workforce.
With this weekend’s rally, we showed that not only are the staff united, but so are the residents and their families. We saw family members show up to support us, and express gratitude for the work that we do to keep their relatives safe. We saw members of the community drop by for support. We saw that our struggle is not just our own, but also one to improve the conditions of care at Walden. This rally has galvanized us—we know, even more than before, that our co-workers and our community have our backs.
If we’re going to win a fair contract at AgeCare Walden, regardless of the employer’s delays and stalling tactics, we need everyone to keep up the mobilization, and support the negotiations team.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the team members with any questions, concerns, or feedback. Let’s bring this home.
Your negotiations team
Lisa Dray lmdray@gmail.com
Emily Unggos: unggosemily@yahoo.ca
Maggie Couper magycouper@gmail.com
Alternates:
Tracy Downey peachpoje@hotmail.com
Cecile Factura c_gemini61@yahoo.com
AUPE staff resources
Christian Tetreault, Negotiator c.tetreault@aupe.org
Jon Milton, Communications j.milton@aupe.org