After years of negotiations and the possibility of arbitration looming with Golden Life Evanston, we are pleased to report that AUPE Local 048, Chapter 033 has reached an agreement.
The two parties continued to bargain into November, but the Employer repeatedly refused to acknowledge the patterns of compensation that have been awarded at other AHS job sites. When an arbitration date was set for February, the employer finally felt the pressure to meet the AHS wage settlement, including “COVID appreciation” lump sum amounts.
Other highlights of the new Tentative Agreement include clarified language around the new Scheduling Committee, resulting in improved shift pickup process for full-time employees and a strict seniority selection process. An eighth (8th) step was also added to the wage grid, matching AHS for LPN and HCA job classifications.
The employer indicated that retroactive payments to eligible members should be arriving on December 20th.
We truly appreciate all the hard work of your negotiating team for their good-faith efforts to achieve this deal.
If you have any questions about this update, please contact James Mitchell at j.mitchell@aupe.org.