On Oct. 20 & 21, your negotiating team met with the employer to continue bargaining, but Legal Aid met almost all our details proposals with the same canned response — they would not agree to our solutions to workplace problems.
We agreed that we are at an impasse, so AUPE filed for mediation, which is a necessary step to take before any labour dispute. In mediation, an independent mediator will join us at the table to push bargaining along and help both parties settle outstanding items, of which there are many.
While we did sign off on five more articles last week (6, 9, 10, 16 & 43), because the employer made some modest withdrawals of their proposed rollbacks, we remained far apart on the key issues that matter most to you. Once again Legal Aid said these matters fall within their Management Rights to determine the details. But we know that this logic just gives them room to overhaul operations and instate processes that support neither clients nor staff.
Their half-formed idea about extended hours is a prime example. We asked them to show us how they would implement this “plan.” Last week, they finally brought a draft schedule to the table, but it was full of holes. In other areas they tabled similarly subpar offers, including monetary proposals that are either freezes or take aways.
Legal Aid’s take on employee monitoring and performance evaluation remains unfair and extensive, and they refuse to provide us with working-from-home provisions. Altogether, their limited proposals do not support the front lines, which means they will not support our clients, and the employer’s refusal to limit their management rights leave us with choice but to explore new avenues for securing a fair collective agreement.
While we wait for mediation to proceed, please continue to attend your monthly mobilizing meetings. The considerable differences between our approach to bargaining and our employer’s shows how important it is for us to build our collective strength beyond the negotiations table. Check out some resources and courses our union has created to help members build power:
https://aupe.org/training/courses
https://aupe.org/news/direct-impact/lockouts-and-strikes
https://aupe.org/news-and-publications/steward-notes
If you have any questions or ideas please contact us.
LEGAL AID SOCIETY BARGAINING TEAM MEMBERS
Jan Davidson-Carey 403-404-2307 or jan.davidson@hotmail.com
Michele Lucas 780-288-2535 or michele.lucas394@hotmail.com
Peter Dubourt 780-293-5141 or pdubourt@yahoo.ca
Raman Deep (Alternate) 780-905-9662 ramandeep_83@hotmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Merryn Edwards Negotiator m.edwards@aupe.org
Tracy Noble Organizer t.noble@aupe.org
Celia Shea Communications c.shea@aupe.org