The employer would like a new agreement based on the Government of Alberta (GOA) settlement, which has wage adjustments of 0% in 2017, 0% in 2018, and a wage re-opener in 2019.
However, the employer is not interested in basing your new contract on anything else in the GOA agreement, which includes improvements to:
• Employment security;
• Contracting out and contracting in;
• Job evaluation and wage equity;
• Exclusions consultation and the appeals process.
Informal Mediation
The employer proposed informal mediation to assist with negotiations, to which your bargaining team eventually agreed.
We met with the assistance of mediator Mia Norrie on April 5, 6, 7. We put 21 key items on the table:
• Article 5- Union Recognition;
• Article 6- Seniority;
• Article 9- Union Business;
• Article 10- Job Evaluation;
• Article 12- Layoff, Recall and Position Abolishment;
• Article 14- Hours of Work;
• Article 26- Casual Illness;
• Article 27- General Illness;
• Article 29- Disability;
• Article 30- Wellness Account;
• Article 32- Named Holidays;
• Article 34- Leaves;
• Article 39- Rates of Pay;
• Article 47- Long Service Allowance improvements;
• No contracting out;
• Workload Review Process;
• Employment Security;
• No harassment, bullying, and discrimination at the workplace;
• Determination of Exclusions Process;
• Employee Benefits Joint Committee language;
• Local Authorities Pension Plan language.
These are all based on the priorities you’ve brought up through writing, membership meetings and ongoing feedback.
On our Apr. 7 meeting, we narrowed these priorities down to five key points:
• Workload language for members to address concerns and a process for resolving workload;
• A job evaluation system to ensure the value of each member’s position is reflected in compensation based upon that value;
• Limiting staffing agency employment;
• Dealing with position abolishment and facilitating continued employment;
• A process for determining what positions should be included or excluded from the non-academic bargaining unit.
Those priorities are also based upon comparative settlements at the University of Calgary and the third party mediator recommendations at the University of Lethbridge, which include many of these same improvements.
However, the employer is not recognizing your priorities and has no interest in giving up their management rights to address your priorities.
Formal Mediation
The employer is now refusing to meet with your bargaining team for the meetings we scheduled for Apr. 16 and 25. We understand the employer wants to wait for the outcome of the upcoming provincial election on April 16, which puts collective bargaining and any potential settlement at risk.
Your bargaining team will advise the employer to start Essential Services Agreement (ESA) discussions. We would need an ESA to be in place in order to apply for formal mediation.
Your bargaining committee is dedicated to keeping you informed throughout the entire negotiations process. Please do not hesitate to contact a member of your committee or AUPE resource staff with any questions, comments or concerns you may have.
Please update your contact information so you don’t miss out on important bargaining updates by visiting: aupe.org/update-me
SAIT BARGAINING TEAM MEMBERS:
Tanya Mullings info@tanyacmullings.com
Rose Read chairlocal039@aupe.ca
Diane Moreau dmoreau2@shaw.ca
ALTERNATES:
Andy Trache trache@shaw.ca
Jamie Eschyshyn je565@hotmail.com
Lauren Wood laurenwood_15@hotmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF:
John Wevers Negotiator
780-238-4767 or j.wevers@aupe.org
Farris Sobhani Organizer
780-271-0728 or f.sobhani@aupe.org
Alexander Delorme Communications
780-930-3333 or a.delorme@aupe.org