Bargaining Update: AHS GSS—Locals 054, 056, 057, 058, 095 and Lamont
Your negotiating team met with the employer on Feb. 17 to resume bargaining. We are at a critical point in negotiations, and your team went into these meetings looking to make progress on what matters most to us: job security and monetary increases.
Instead, we were confronted by an employer who wants to treat us differently than other employees and stalls the bargaining process while putting us out of work.
Job security and monetary items
Your team rejected AHS’s monetary proposal from last year. AHS’s idea of what constitutes fair compensation fell far short of addressing our needs, especially given the soaring cost of living. We told AHS to come back to us with a much better monetary proposal, one that would benefit the front-line workers they take for granted and also treat them the same as other AHS employees.
We also did not come to an agreement on improved job security. In fact, AHS called us special, and said they need to treat us differently from other groups because we are so focused on job security.
Newsflash: General Support Services members care so much about job security because of AHS’s own schemes to fire us! AHS GSS members and our health care colleagues have been under attack ever since former Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced the UCP government wanted to fire 11,000 of us. Better job security is always important, but it’s a major sticking point now because we are trying to save our very jobs and the services we provide for Albertans.
Bargaining has been stretched out over the past several months because AHS can apparently only meet sporadically. During that time—time without a new collective agreement and improved job security—AHS cut our laundry and retail food services jobs. We refuse to be disrespected for wanting to protect ourselves from attacks on General Support Services workers.
Next bargaining meetings
Our next bargaining dates are scheduled for March 24 and 25. The employer had also made a new proposal regarding teleworking, but it was full of important monetary items, so your team agreed to review the proposal and address it in these future meetings.
Please contact your negotiating team representatives or AUPE resource staff members if you have any questions.
AHS GSS Negotiating Team
Local 054
Julie Woodford - juliew.chp006@gmail.com
Charity Hill (A) - charity.johanson@gmail.com
Local 056
Tammy Lanktree – local56.bargaining@outlook.com
Juanita Cozicar (A) – jcozicar@telus.net
Local 057
Wendy Kicia - wendykicia@hotmail.com
Janice Drader (A) – draderjanice@gmail.com
Local 058
Anton Schindler - waterdude69@gmail.com
Dave Ibach (A) - d1322j@gmail.com
Local 095
James Sullivan - sullivanlocal95@gmail.com
Anna Silva (A) – a.silva100@outlook.com
Lamont Health Care Centre GSS
Jessica Kroeker - jessicarayne@hotmail.com
Carol Palichuk - carolpalichuk@hotmail.com
AUPE Resource Staff for AHS GSS
Chris Dickson, Lead Negotiator - c.dickson@aupe.org
Jason Rattray, Negotiator - j.rattray@aupe.org
Kate Robinson, Negotiator – k.robinson@aupe.org
Tracy Noble, Edmonton-North Organizer – t.noble@aupe.org
Margaret Kapuwa, Central Organizer – m.kapuwa@aupe.org
Alexander Delorme, Communications - a.delorme@aupe.org