Bethany negotiating teams will jointly bargain two Master Agreements

During discussions last year with the independent mediator assigned to these bargaining units, the Employer raised the idea of consolidating the various Auxiliary Nursing Care agreements (Calgary, CollegeSide, Airdrie, Cochrane, Sylvan Lake, Didsbury, and Harvest Hills) into one Master Agreement and the two General Support Services (GSS) agreements into another Master Agreement. The Employer subsequently expressed interest in adding our three most recent ANC certifications at Bethany Riverview, Sundre Seniors’ Supportive Living and Mount View Lodge to the ANC Master Agreement. You can read a copy of the letter from the Employer here.

Your negotiating teams reviewed the Employer’s proposal and, after much consideration, unanimously agreed to bargain together for two Master Agreements, one for ANC and one for GSS. Given that a lot of effort has gone into standardizing the Bethany agreements in previous rounds of bargaining, your negotiating teams agreed with the Employer’s position that consolidation made sense.

This will not change the size or composition of your current negotiating teams, nor will it change the negotiating process. Each committee will retain their autonomy with respect to making recommendations about a tentative agreement at their respective worksites. It is anticipated that there will be appendices attached to the Master Agreements to accommodate any site-specific language found to be necessary.

Auxiliary Nursing Care

At our first mediation meeting for ANC on March 7th, 2023, the Employer tabled their first draft proposal for the ANC Master Agreement. Your ANC negotiating teams met again on Mar. 20 to review the Employer’s proposal and we have mediation dates scheduled for Mar. 23 and 24.

In the meantime, the parties met with the Essential Services Commissioner on March 22nd to discuss the staffing levels the parties agreed to in the Essential Services Agreement (ESA). We will update you once the Commissioner has given direction.

General Support Services

The ESAs for Bethany Airdrie and Calgary GSS were reviewed by the Essential Services Commissioner on Mar. 10 and have been accepted for filing. Alberta Labour Relations legislation requires that the parties file an ESA with the Commissioner before they can apply for formal mediation under Section 65 of the Labour Relations Code for assistance in reaching a collective agreement or before either party can proceed towards a strike vote or a lockout.

Additional updates

As of our last mediation meetings we would like to report that the Employer has tabled their first monetary package listed below. We now have a comprehensive working document for the consolidation of the ANC Agreements and the GSS Agreements.

Your negotiating team is scheduled to attend in-person caucus meetings on May 1 and May 4 to review. In-person mediation has been scheduled for May 8 and May 9 at the Calgary Office.

Please note the negotiating teams have made no decisions on the Employer monetary offer at this time and it will be dealing with it with at our next caucus meetings.

ANC monetary proposal

• 1% general wage increase to Appendix A – Salaries Schedules retroactive to October 1, 2021;
• 1.25% general wage increase to Appendix A – Salaries Schedules retroactive to September 1, 2022;
• 2% general wage increase to Appendix A – Salaries Schedules effective April 1, 2023;
• Match Alberta Health Services basic hourly wage rates in the new ANC consolidated agreement effective the date of ratification.

Wage grid alignment

An Employee shall not suffer a reduction in their basic rate of pay as a result of the implementation of the salary schedule in Appendix A that is effective the date of ratification. This applies to the following Employees as of the date of ratification:

1. Employees at Step 6 in the Certified Health Care Aide, Occupational Therapy Aide, and Recreation Assistant classifications;
2. Employees at Bethany – Airdrie and Bethany – Cochrane at Steps 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the Licensed Practical Nurse classification; and
3. Employees at Bethany – Airdrie and Bethany – Cochrane at Step 6 in the Licensed Practical Nurse classification, unless the Employee qualifies to move to Step 8.

An Employee whose basic rate of pay exceeds the basic rate of pay for the wage step of their classification as of the date of ratification shall have their basic rate of pay maintained until they receive an increment to the next wage step, or they transfer to a new classification.

GSS

• 1% general wage increase to Appendix A – Salaries Schedules retroactive to April 1, 2019;
• 2% general wage increase to Appendix A – Salaries Schedules effective April 1, 2023.

Align the Bethany – Calgary and Bethany – Airdrie rates in a consolidated GSS agreement effective the date of ratification by providing the following adjustments:

• Bethany Airdrie – Clerk / Receptionist and Rehabilitation Aide Step 2 increases by $0.54 per hour to $19.92
• Bethany Calgary – Maintenance Worker I Step 1 increases by $0.01 to $18.39

Upcoming Annual General Meetings

• Harvest Hills Local 048/004 (ANC)
  Mar. 31, 2023. 2:15 PM – 3:45 PM
  Bethany Harvest Hills – Family Dining Room
   
• Cochrane Local 048/002 (ANC)
  Apr. 11, 2023. 4:00 PM
  Via Zoom
   
• Calgary Local 048/003 (ANC & GSS)
  Apr. 12, 2023. 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  AUPE Calgary Office – Lethbridge Room

AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAMS – BETHANY CARE SOCIETY

Airdrie ANC (048/001)

Sabrina Edwards
edwardss@telus.net or 403-837-2708

Jill Thompson
jillt2@telus.net or 403-874-0076

Airdrie GSS (048/001)

Eileen Booth
403-771-6229

Calgary ANC (048/003)

Valerie Monkman
valerie.w.monkman@hotmail.com or 403-460-8161

Aida Varela
aida.varela@yahoo.ca or 587-216-3936

Michelle Fluter
michelle.fluter@hotmail.com or 403-836-4071

Calgary GSS (048/003)

Charles Denis
Dobbs thvlyfrm@gmail.com or 403-646-3048

Margaret Billings
mbillings58@shaw.ca or 403-978-8935

Harvest Hills ANC (048/004)

Sharon Hoben
shodgins@shaw.ca or 403-590-9711

Mai Fang Tian
tianmf6666@hotmail.com or 403-397-3796

Davinder Manhas
davindermanhas@hotmail.com or 403-590-4884

Red Deer (048/021)

Lourdes Alberto
lourds09@yahoo.ca or 403-872-3718

Cheryl Hoffman
cherhoff@live.ca or 825-706-2770

Topaz Phang
topaz_889@hotmail.com or 403-307-3280

Sylvan Lake (048/025)

Nadine Frederick
fredericknadine@outlook.com or 403-391-6607

Josephine Covin
covinj@hotmail.com or 403-505-8924

Craig Veale
craigjv2001@yahoo.com or 587-447-7117

Didsbury (048/032)

Carrie Sears
crsears8203@gmail.com or 403-808-2713

Brenda Thomson
bltmypin@shaw.ca or 587-436-3927

Ebony Burley
ebburley@hotmail.com or 403-586-3824

Teusdaes Johnston
teusdaes@hotmail.com or 403-439-0191

Mount View Lodge - Olds (048/042)

June Brogden
j.brogden456@gmail.com or 403-438-0001

Tess (Maria Teresa) Mcallister
mtesbar@yahoo.com or 403-438-0051

Tammie Gudjonson
tgudjonson2014@gmail.com or 587-444-0113

Sundre Seniors’ Supportive Living (048/042)

Georgina Alm
gekesa67@gmail.com or 403-559-8493

Jessica McAllister
jesy_mcallister@hotmail.com or 403-895-0784

Janie Wozyn
janewozny@gmail.com or 403-586-0323

Riverview ANC (048/048)

Irineo Paguergan
irineo.paguergan@yahoo.com or 403-620-0885

Lamia Khorfan
lamia.khorfan@gmail.com or 403-460-1636

Cathy Senger
red0141@yahoo.com or 403-926-3379

AUPE RESOURCE STAFF

James Mitchell, Negotiations
j.mitchell@aupe.org

Communications
co@aupe.org