Employer was unprepared to negotiate
Five and a half years. It is unacceptable that we have been going back and forth with the Good Samaritan Society and waiting for a contract for over half a decade. Your negotiating team met with the employer on December 12 to resume bargaining but were outraged to find that the employer did not come to the table prepared to negotiate. Despite the fact that we had tabled our latest proposal package all the way back in September, Good Samaritan Society somehow felt it was reasonable to tell us they did not have the mandate to negotiate monetary items. Why are we even at the table if they can’t even respond to our proposals? What do they think we came to do?
Their response to our frustration? “Get over it.”
We will not get over it. We will continue to push and demand that we reach a fair contract as soon as possible. Members have been waiting far too long and patience has dried up. We were loud and clear that our membership sent us to the table with a clear mandate to get a deal and that we would not tolerate any more delays.
After a caucus, the employer returned to the table to say that they would come to our next meeting with a “fulsome package with intent to resolve” and that they “think we should easily be able to come to a resolution.” We will continue to hold their feet to the fire and demand that the resolution not only be quick but also a fair contract that meets members’ needs.
We have offered the employer four days in January, four days in February, and ten days in March to meet again and are expecting to hear from them soon. We will update members once dates are confirmed.
The wage proposal we put forward in September is as follows (note, from 2020 on, the wage increases align with the deal AHS offered and which was accepted by members earlier this year):
- April 1, 2017 – 1%
- April 1, 2018 – 1%
- April 1, 2019 – 1%
- April 1, 2020 – 0%
- October 1, 2021 – 1% (retroactive)
- September 1, 2022 – 1.25%
- April 1, 2023 – 2%
- April 1, 2023 – 2% - Long Service Increment for all employees with 20 or more years of service.
- Total – 7.25%
Lump Sum Pandemic Pay
- 1% Lump Sum - Pandemic Pay for all hours worked from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
We have continued to take steps to ensure that our voices are heard. An Essential Service Agreement conversation with the employer will happen on December 22 and we anticipate consultations to begin in January. Stay tuned for future updates on how to get involved in pressuring the employer to agree to a fair agreement through collective action.
Your negotiating team thanks you for standing with us through this long and contentious process. We are here to support you and answer any questions you may have.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – GOOD SAMARITAN SOCIETY
Betty Wiebe
timbetty@telus.net
Debbie Caplette
acdcfam@telus.net
Diana Bigelow
dianabigelow@gmail.com
Tahera Khalfan
taherakhalfan@gmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Kate Robinson, Negotiations
k.robinson@aupe.org
Margaret Kapuwa, Organizing
m.kapuwa@aupe.org
Michelle Szalynski, Organizing
m.szalynski@aupe.org
Communications
co@aupe.org