047/010 bargaining update
Thanks to your commitment to bettering our working conditions and improving resident care, your negotiating team has come to a tentative agreement with the employer. Now it’s up to you to vote on this new language and democratically decide if it will become our new collective agreement.
Please prepare to mail-in your ballots before Dec. 10, so that your votes arrive at AUPE headquarters in time for counting. Your negotiating team will be counting the votes on Dec. 10.
By now, you should have received a voting package, which not only includes your ballots, but also the complete Memorandum of Agreement that you are voting on. Your negotiating team is recommending you vote in favour of the agreement because of the hard-won improvements it will bring to our working conditions, both non-monetary and monetary.
Below are just some of the gains we made in this round of bargaining:
Monetary
- General wage increases and signing bonus
- Jan. 1, 2021 (year 2): Increase of 0.50% (retroactive on all hours paid, payment will be made with 90 days of contract ratification)
- Jan. 1, 2022 (year 3): Increase of 1.0%
- Upon contract ratification the employer will pay a signing bonus of $450 to each Full-Time and Part-Time Employee, and $150.00 to each Casual Employee. This applies to Employees employed on 4 November, 2021, including those on leave.
- Shift Premium Increase
- Effective Jan. 1, 2021, an increase in the Evening Shift Differential to $3.00 from $2.75.
- Effective Jan. 1, 2021, an increase in the Night Shift Differential to $4.00 from $3.50
Non-Monetary
- Unused personal-leave days can now be rolled over into subsequent years with no maximum cap on accrual. Unused sick days can be rolled over into subsequent years with a maximum cap of ninety days.
- Employer must reimburse staff for proof-of-illness notes where the employer has required them.
- Contracting-out protections added: If the Employer finds it necessary to sub-contract, outsource, or contract out members’ work they must notify the Union no less than sixty days in advance of the changes, and they must “meet and discuss with the Union matters regarding the interests of affected Employees."
- NEW Letter of Understanding: Provides a process for addressing Workload issues that includes the affected members from start to finish. Staff will be included in the entire investigation and/or workload audit, and the onus is on the General Manager to share relevant results from the investigation or audit with the affected member(s).
- LOU – New Employee Orientation: Members will have a greater say in how the orientation process works with the formation of a joint committee, consisting of three employees and three Employer representatives. Together they will “review all of the current practices of the orientation process and make recommendations jointly.” We also secured more paid days of orientation for newly hired employees (from three to four days).
- Complete rewrite of Article 7 – No Discrimination and Article 7 – Respectful Workplace. The language now explicitly states that workplace violence, discrimination, bullying and harassment will not be tolerated by the Employer, the Union and the Employees. Clauses outline process by which complaints will be addressed and the obligations of all Parties regarding the process.
- Article 31 – Professional Development: Specialized courses added, including two mandatory ones that will help members better protect themselves and residents.
- Deletion of the Clause that stated time taken off in place of overtime pay is calculated as straight time hours.
- Inclusion of seniority as one of the qualifications for job opportunities.
This was an intense round of bargaining, but the strong will and determination of the front-lines showed at the table, and your support ultimately gave us the leverage and energy we needed to push for some much needed improvements. Now it’s your time to officially weigh in. Review the Memorandum of Agreement and cast your vote to have your say!
BARGAINING TEAM MEMBERS:
Lianne Dumais – ldumais@telus.net
Alison Anstruther – ally_anst_88@hotmail.com
Valisity Gabriel – mynameisvis@hotmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Terry M Luhoway, Negotiator - t.luhoway@aupe.org
Jaime Urbina, Organizer – j.urbina@aupe.org
Krista Brzezicki, Membership Services Officer (MSO) – k.brzezicki@aupe.org
Celia Shea, Communications – c.shea@aupe.org