Bargaining Update—AgeCare Walden Heights: Local 048, Chapter 031
After extensive delays, your negotiations team at AgeCare Walden Heights has new bargaining dates for this round of contract negotiations. Nursing care and general support services both have new bargaining dates in the first half of March.
You already know what has happened up to now—alongside delays related to COVID-19, the employer has switched negotiators multiple times, leading to significant delays as your negotiations team works to bring the new negotiator up to speed. We have had to cancel bargaining dates, and spend the dates we have catching up.
Despite this frustrating situation, we’re making progress, and that progress is thanks to your support. Our message hasn’t changed over these two years of negotiations—we want a fair deal for all the workers at Walden Heights.
For nursing care workers, your negotiations team is tabling a response to the employer’s offer. We want Walden’s nursing care workers to have similar salaries to other AgeCare sites, and to move into the provincial median. We are tired of being among the lowest-paid workers in our profession in Alberta. We deserve better.
For general support services workers, we’re asking for modest improvements to the language of the agreement, and for wage increases that keep up with inflation. We aren’t willing to entertain the idea of concessions, and we want to be paid for the value of our hard work.
We will be meeting with the employer on March 7 to negotiate for nursing care members, and on March 8-11 for GSS members. We intend to make good use of our time, and bring the negotiations to conclusion, if possible. Whether or not that actually happens is up to the employer.
Your negotiations team sees the work that you put in every day at Walden. We know that you come into work, even when it’s hard, because you care about the work that you do. We know that you want to make this a better workplace, and a deliver the best care you can to residents.
Your negotiations teams continues to be inspired by the actions that you take to demonstrate our unity and solidarity. We marched on the boss, we showed our union colors, we held rallies, and we put up posters in our cars. We have been united throughout this process, and we’ve shown the employer that stalling will not break our solidarity.
Your negotiations team hopes that we can wrap things up at our next bargaining dates in March, but we know that the employer has a record of stalling and delaying. With this in mind, we need to be ready to respond to any further tactics by the boss. We know that you’re ready to do so if it becomes necessary.
We want to thank all of our co-workers for their patience through these negotiations. We know it has been frustrating at times, but we’ve proven time and again that we are willing to fight for a fair deal. And that’s exactly what we’re going to continue doing, until we win.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to your negotiations team with any questions, comments, or feedback. Solidarity!
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