We met with AHS on October 16 and 17 to continue negotiations. Your team came prepared to address the appalling schedules Nursing Care members are forced to work.
We shared testimony from members across the province. We told AHS how horrible and inhumane our schedules are. We shared stories about members working 7 days in a row on a twelve week rotation. We shared stories about excessive and erratic switches from days to nights and nights to days. We shared stories about members working 3 whole weekends in a 5 week period.
AHS seemed to hear us out—however, AHS ultimately did not offer any solutions.
AHS claims ignorance on Primary Care Alberta and continuing care
Your team also asked AHS for more information about Primary Care Alberta, the government’s new agency that will supposedly begin operations this November, as well as the status of continuing care.
AHS told us they do not know anything about this issue aside from what the government has stated publicly. But how is it possible that AHS has no information about such an important structural change?
To say your negotiating team is unimpressed and frustrated would be an understatement. We will continue fighting, but it seems likely that we will need members to take action outside our bargaining meetings to win the new agreement we deserve.
Wear red Dec. 5 and 6
Our next bargaining meetings are scheduled for December 5 and 6. This should be enough time for AHS to review the scheduling issues we shared, new scheduling rules we proposed, and show up with possible solutions. We eagerly await what they will bring to the table.
Wear red on Dec. 5 and 6 to show AHS we are united. Email photos of you and your colleagues wearing red to photos@aupe.org so we can show our solidarity on the union’s social media.
Please contact a member of the negotiating team if you have any questions.
AHS NURSING CARE NEGOTIATING TEAM
Local 041
Christine Vavrik
rvavrik@shaw.ca
Catherine Sivasankar (alt)
accb@shaw.ca
Local 043
Sandy Miller
smiller98@msn.com
Jennifer Power (alt)
cherrigarcia24@yahoo.ca
Local 044
Marg Miller
marg.miller@hotmail.ca
Jesse Philp (alt)
local044chair@gmail.com
Local 045
Nancy Burton
ndburton@hotmail.com
Angela Smyth (alt)
angelscare.as@gmail.com
Local 046
Marty Roy
chairlocal46@gmail.com
Heather Stewart (alt)
stewart.h@live.ca
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Kate Robinson, Lead Negotiator
k.robinson@aupe.org
Chris Dickson, Negotiator
c.dickson@aupe.org