Employer continues its job cutting agenda
As your negotiating teams await the employer’s response to our request to schedule bargaining dates in July and August, we held a joint meeting this week to discuss the government’s continued push towards privatization and contracting-out of health care and the mounting pressure on members due to being perennially short-staffed and over-worked.
Last October, Covenant Health advised us that the contracting out of laundry services would affect 5.86 FTE positions at the following facilities:
Banff Mineral Springs Hospital
Our Lady of the Rosary, Castor
Mary Immaculate Care Centre, Mundare
St. Joseph’s General Hospital, Vegreville
To date, they have not provided any further information as to when this will occur, although AHS announced that K-Bro had been awarded the contact in March.
We discussed the increased use of private security firms in a number of facilities and how it’s interesting that the employers claimed they couldn’t find the resources to continue collective bargaining but had no problem staying laser-focused on their push to privatizing and contracting-out our jobs.
Your negotiating team is aware that a number of members who have been injured at work are having difficulties getting paid and will raise the matter at the Joint Task Force meeting scheduled for June 17. Workers injured on the job should not have to fight with the employer to get paid. If you know of any members experiencing problems in this area, please have them contact the Members Resource Centre at 1-800-232-7284 and we will help them sort it out.
These past sixteen months have been stressful. You have shown up for your shifts exhausted and scared and ploughed through despite being understaffed and overworked. In return, you’ve been threatened with job loss and wage rollbacks. It’s a lot to take. Please remember that there are supports available for you if you are feeling anxious or vulnerable. AUPE’s Crisis Support Service line at 1-844-744-7026 is available 24/7, 365 days a year. This service is available to you even if your crisis is not work-related.
Your negotiating team will continue to fight to get you the collective bargaining agreement you deserve. Please show them your support by wearing black on Thursdays and blue on Fridays. Your visible solidarity will help us at the bargaining table.
If you have any questions about bargaining, please contact a member of your negotiating team.
GSS Negotiating Team
Lorie Christenson, lcc44local40@hotmail.com
Corey Kucher, cjkucher@gmail.com
Christee Langkamp, christee7@gmail.com
Nursing Care Negotiating Team
Local 040
Kathy Bandmann, kbandmann@hotmail.com
Bev Hill, bhill3095@gmail.com
Local 046
Mary Watson, maynayvatson@hotmail.com
Laura Johnstone, johnstone_laura@hotmail.com
AUPE Resource Staff
Chris Dickson, Negotiator - c.dickson@aupe.org
Madelaine Sommers, Organizing - m.sommers@aupe.org
Tracy Noble, Organizing - t.noble@aupe.org
Mimi Williams, Communications - m.williams@aupe.org