LOCAL 118 CHAPTERS 018 & 019 - ALL STAFF
Please take the strike-pledge petition
As you know, we have taken time over the last month to consult with members about the crucial stage we have reached in our negotiations with the Legal Aid Society.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to understand the issues and provide feedback.
The results of this consultation provided overwhelming support for the position your negotiating team had already taken with our employer.
In particular, the majority have confirmed that:
- Our three priorities are: 1) work from home; 2) preserve Earned Days Off (EDOs) or replace with something or a combination of things that are of equivalent value; and 3) fair wage increases.
- Members also agreed that work from home as a potential option that is far from permanent/guaranteed (as EDOs currently are) was not an acceptable tradeoff for giving up EDOs.
- Members were also adamant that we deserve increases to income. After more than six years of no increases and the introduction last round of a two-tier wage scale, there is no appetite to accept more wage freezes and/or increases below the pattern in the public sector.
Furthermore, members told us that the majority are ready to send a strong message to our employer and are prepared to vote yes in a formal strike vote as a last resort. With 85.9% of members participating, these are the results: 88.5% would vote yes, 9.8% are not sure, and 1.6% would vote no.
It is important to remember that these are not formal results. We are still hopeful that we can reach a settlement in mediation with Legal Aid. However, we also know that if they are not prepared to negotiate a fair settlement, our members are prepared to show our employer that we are united in our determination.
As a next step, we are asking you to once again confirm your intentions in an online strike-pledge petition. Please click this link to make your pledge by the end of day on Friday, June 10.
The reason the bargaining team needs to confirm the stance of members through the strike-pledge petition is so we can be as precise as possible in assessing in the members’ commitment to the next steps of the bargaining process should the mediation process break down.
If the employer holds strong on its current position and if either party asks the mediator to withdraw from the process (or “write out”), the next steps could come quickly. We need to be prepared. There is a 14-day cooling-off period, then the bargaining team may be in a position where we need to make a clear, strong statement to the employer. This strike-pledge petition is vital in gauging the membership’s intent to move forward with a formal strike vote as a last resort.
The strike-pledge form is confidential. It will only be viewed by the bargaining team, but it is crucial for the process. We cannot go into a formal strike vote without confidence in a strong and overwhelming majority of support from members.
The best way to avoid a strike is to be ready for one.
Our next monthly membership meeting will focus on explaining the ins and outs of a strike. Please join us at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 9.
Topic: Legal Aid Membership Meeting
Time: 6 p.m., Thursday, June 9, 2022.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81402682393
Meeting ID: 814 0268 2393
Phone: +1 587 328 1099
If you have questions, please contact a member of your negotiating team.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – LEGAL AID SOCIETY
Jan Davidson-Carey
403-404-2307 jan.davidson@hotmail.com
Michele Lucas
780-288-2535 michele.lucas394@hotmail.com
Peter Dubourt
780-293-5141 pdubourt@yahoo.ca
Raman Deep (Alternate)
780-905-9662 ramandeep_83@hotmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Merryn Edwards Negotiations
m.edwards@aupe.org
Farid Iskandar Organizing
f.iskandar@aupe.org
Terry Inigo-Jones Communications
t.inigo-jones@aupe.org