McConachie Gardens: Negotiations team seeks ALRB assistance

Following the final days of bargaining at Revera McConachie Gardens for our first collective agreement, your negotiations team is applying to the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) for first contract assistance.

While your negotiations team tabled a comprehensive proposal—one which matched the standard provisions in collective agreements across the seniors’ care sector—the employer believes that our worksite cannot be compared to other similar sites and is attempting to reject our reasonable proposals. The employer says that they cannot provide us with the standards enjoyed by our colleagues across Alberta because McConachie does not receive funding from Alberta Health Services.

Of course, Revera—McConachie’s parent company—is a highly profitable enterprise, with more than enough revenue to cover our reasonable demands. We aren’t asking for the moon, just for standard practices such as health benefits and shift and weekend premiums.

We come into work every day, and we do the same work that continuing care workers across Alberta do. We know that we deserve to have the same benefits that our colleagues in other homes are entitled to. No matter what the employer says, we know that we are undervalued at work, and the employer has the capacity to pay us what we deserve.

That’s why we’re approaching the ALRB for first contract assistance.

ALRB First Contract Assistance—What Does it Mean?

Once the ALRB steps in, they will appoint a mediator—a neutral third party who will, we hope, help us to reach an agreement that works for everyone. If that doesn’t happen, the mediator will write recommendations for a settlement.

From there, all AUPE members at McConachie will have a chance to vote on either the agreement or the mediator’s proposal. We will decide, as a group, whether to accept the deal—nothing can be imposed on us at this stage of the process.

Then, if either side rejects either the mediated deal or the mediator’s proposal, we move into arbitration. At this stage, an arbitrator—also a neutral third party—looks at the negotiations that have occurred up to that point. The arbitrator considers the interests of both the workers and the employer, before deciding what our first collective agreement will look like. The arbitrator’s decision is final and binding on both us and the employer.

The hardest part about all of this is the waiting. It’s a long process and it can feel like we’re spinning our wheels—but it is a process that other AUPE members have used many times in the past to successfully force unwilling employers to adopt basic industry standards, like the ones we’re asking for.

We know that the past two years have been extremely difficult here at McConachie. An unprecedented pandemic, outbreaks, and a disrespectful employer have all taken their toll on us. We come into work every day because we care about residents, and we know that the work we do has value. It’s time for the employer to recognize that as well.

For us to get there, we need to stand strong and united, in solidarity behind our negotiations team. When we’re united, the employer knows that we need to be taken seriously.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to your negotiations team with any questions, comments, or feedback. Your team is united behind you, just as we know you are united behind us. Together, we will achieve the fair contract that we deserve.

MCCONACHIE GARDENS NEGOTIATIONS TEAM
Corrina May Ominayak 780-340-9054 | cominayak@gmail.com
Mary Symborski 403-483-1216 | mary.m.symborski@gmail.com
Desiree Bailey 780-905-5491 | baileydesiree4@gmail.com
Alternate: Ruthessa (Tessa) Chua 587-340-0260 | rei.ayumi23@gmail.com

AUPE RESOURCE STAFF:
Merryn Edwards, Negotiations 780-952-1951 | m.edwards@aupe.org
Guy Quenneville, Membership Services Officer 780-237-8253 | g.quenneville@aupe.org
Michelle Szalynski, Organizing 403-634-8262 | m.szalynski@aupe.org
Jon Milton, Communications Officer | j.milton@aupe.org