LOCAL 048 CHAPTERS 007, 008, 009, 016, 035, 037, 038, 039, 04O, 041
Employer seeking rollbacks, talks now head to informal mediation
Bargaining with Carewest for a new collective agreement has not been going well, largely because the employer continues to propose significant rollbacks.
These include:
- Significantly restricting our ability to file grievances until a safe and respectful workplace complaint (Article 6) is complete. The complaint process is generally untimely and incomplete;
- Mandatory overtime: The employer says it will try to minimize mandatory OT, but may request employees to work reasonable amounts of overtime hours.
- Limiting medical, dental etc. appointments to a maximum of three hours sick-leave pay;
- Mandatory return to work from vacation that can be rescheduled by the employer if it assesses an unforeseen emergency; and
- Basic rate of pay (which would not include overtime pay even if overtime is required) for in-service attendance and committee-meeting attendance.
On May 4 and 5, your negotiating team tabled a complete proposal including significant monetary improvements. The employer tabled its monetary proposal.
After we completed our seniority survey, the parties again met on July 20. We tabled a further complete proposal that included our seniority priorities.
We have made some progress on the definition of seniority as “commencement of employment with Carewest.” We also made progress on the application of seniority for vacation-time preference and layoff/recall; and some progress on the application of seniority when line rotations are changed.
We have made no progress on using seniority as the priority for “pick-up shifts,” including overtime shifts. We have made no progress on our priority that seniority is the deciding factor for filling vacancies or appointments to positions.
We believe that it is wrong for a long-service member to have to compete with casual employees or a person not already employed by Carewest for an improved part-time or full-time position in the same unit or the same program or the same facility or worksite.
The employer did not table a counter to the union’s proposals on July 20.
This means we are now proceeding to informal mediation. Dates for informal mediation will be scheduled in November.
What is the employer’s monetary offer?
The employer expects you to “write off” any wage increases or monetary improvements in 2020 and accept no wage-grid increase in 2021, except for a lump-sum payment of 1%.
The employer proposed a wage increase on January 1, 2022 of 1%; a further 1% on December 1, 2022; and a 1.25% wage increase on July 1, 2023 (with a 1% long service adjustment for those with 20 or more years of service) effective July 1, 2023.
The employer proposes that the collective agreement expire on June 30, 2024, and that there be no wage increase in the last 12 months.
What’s next?
Over the next few months, your negotiating team will arrange membership events at various worksites. It is time for members to focus their minds on what we must do to achieve our objectives at the bargaining table.
To push our bargaining priorities (including the recognition of seniority, job security and saying no to any more wage freezes), we must have members engaged and showing solidarity with the negotiating team.
If you have any questions or require representation, advice, counsel or advocacy, please call your AUPE Membership Services Officer (MSO) at 1-800-232-7284.
If you have questions or comments about bargaining, please contact a member of your negotiating team.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – CAREWEST
Tracy Emovon Chairperson Glenmore
emovontracy@yahoo.com or 403-200-9158
Kathleen Schwengler Fanning Center
Kat.schwengler@gmail.com or 403-540-1061
June St. Lewis Colonel Belcher
ladyjune2011@gmail.com or 403-689-0957
Leeann Cook Sarcee/C3 Beddington
Leeann.marie40@yahoo.ca or 587-718-0744
Marilyn van Sertima C3 Beddington
mvansertima@hotmail.com or 403-619-8962
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
John Wevers Negotiations
j.wevers@aupe.org or 780-238-4767
Jaime Urbina Organizing
j.urbina@aupe.org or 587-599-7557
Terry Inigo-Jones Communications
t.inigo-jones@aupe.org