Negotiations are set to resume on May 3
Your negotiating team met with the employer on April 17 and 18. After both parties passed several proposal packages back and forth, the only remaining issues to be resolved are wages, Health/Flexible Spending Account, and layoff language.
Apparently, the sticking point for Good Sam is that they want to differentiate themselves from Alberta Health Services by saying they’re not AHS. Therefore, they aren’t going to pay what AHS pays – even though that's what they have traditionally done.
Basically, the employer made it clear that they can afford it – they are just choosing not to.
Their last offer to us was:
- First full pay period after Oct. 1, 2021 - 0.5%
- First full pay period after Oct. 1, 2022 - 0.5%
- First full pay period after Oct. 1, 2023 - 0.75%
- Plus, a lump sum payment of 0.75% for hours worked in 2021 to be paid in July 2023.
In response, our last offer to them (which matches AHS, only differing by the addition of the 0.75% in 2020):
- April 1, 2017 – 0%
- April 1, 2018 – 0%
- April 1, 2019 – 0%
- April 1, 2020 – 0.75% (retroactive)
- Oct. 1, 2021 – 1% (retroactive)
- Sept. 1, 2022 – 1.25% (retroactive)
- April 1, 2023 – 2% (retroactive)
- April 1, 2023 – 2% - Long Service Increment for all employees with 20 or more years of service. (retroactive)
We also proposed a lump sum payment of 1% to be paid on the first pay period following ratification for hours worked in 2021 in recognition of work performed during COVID-19.
Your negotiating team also proposed to change the Health Spending Account into a Flexible Spending Account (meaning you can spend it on non-health related items) and to increase it from $600 to $800.
Every employee at Good Sam who has a spending account has a Flexible Spending Account, not just a Health Spending Account, except AUPE members.
The employer has not responded to us yet, but they have committed to doing so when we resume negotiations on May 3.
A strong show of strength and solidarity!
Every action you take to support our efforts at the bargaining table has an impact!
While negotiations were occurring, several Good Sam local council members were right next door doing an AUPE training pilot.
To show solidarity and support for the negotiating team, everyone wore black on April 18, and as the employer representatives were walking to our room, everyone dressed in black gathered in the hallway and clicked their pens.
There is no doubt this action got the employer's attention, and we want to thank everyone who showed their support!
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – GOOD SAMARITAN SOCIETY (CONTINUING CARE)
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
Mary Riemer, Organizing
m.riemer@aupe.org
Michelle Szalynski,Organizing
m.szalynski@aupe.org
Maureen Mariampillai, Communications
m.mariampillai@aupe.org