Essential Services Officers will be at Pembina Village on May 4
We need your knowledge of your worksite and your experience in your work position.
As part of the collective bargaining process, your AUPE Essential Services team is negotiating an Essential Service Agreement (ESA) with your employer, the Good Samaritan Society.
Your Essential Services Officers will be meeting with Pembina Village members, in the Recreation Activity Room, to learn more about the worksite and your job experience on May 4 from 9 am to 4 pm.
Essential services legislation allows strikes and lockouts of public sector workers, while requiring ‘essential’ services be provided to the public during these labour disputes. Section 95.1 of the Labour Relations Code defines Essential Services as:
- The interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety, or health of the public.
- That are necessary for the maintenance and administration of the rule of law or public security.
This legislation is a double-edged sword. It limits our ability to strike and constrains some of our rights during a strike or lockout – which means the employer may try to list services in the ESA not needed to protect safety to weaken our bargaining power.
Put simply, creating an ESA without your feedback leads to weaker agreements, longer rounds of negotiation, and ineffective strikes because we cannot verify the employer’s staffing proposals.
That is why we’re asking all Good Sam members to get involved and participate in these consultations. The input you provide is our most critical resource.
How to prepare for a consultation
- If you have it, bring your job description, or send it to the Essential Services Officer.
- Bring a list of the total number of staff in your department/unit, including all classifications and whether there are any vacancies (working short).
- If you are working short—think of what continues and how you prioritize tasks.
- Learn more about Essential Services at aupe.org/essentialservices
If you have any questions or concerns ahead of the consultations, please contact us at: https://www.aupe.org/essentialservices#14572
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
Carrie Lynn Rusznak, Essential Services Officer
c.rusznak@aupe.org
Elda Glover, Essential Services Officer
e.glover@aupe.org
Leanne Fedrau, Essential Services Officer
l.fedrau@aupe.org
Mary Reimer, Organizing
m.reimer@aupe.org
Michelle Szalynski, Organizing
m.szalynski@aupe.org
Maureen Mariampillai, Communications
m.mariampillai@aupe.org