CALGARY – Workers employed by Carewest will hold a rally this week to push back against rollbacks being demanded by their employer.
“Our members have had enough of being treated with such disrespect by Carewest,” says Bobby-Joe Borodey, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents 98,000 workers, including more than 62,000 health-care workers.
“A drastic shortage of workers is creating chaos in health care, but Carewest thinks it’s appropriate to squeeze our members. How quickly they have forgotten that they were hailing these people as heroes not too long ago.”
Borodey adds: “To do this now, as Alberta is bracing for another surge of demand on health care brought by the next wave of COVID-19 and the beginning of flu season, is madness.”
An information pickets and rally will be held on Wednesday at:
- Carewest Dr. Vernon Fanning Centre
722 16 Ave N.E., Calgary
Wednesday, Nov. 9.
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
In bargaining with AUPE’s 1,500 nursing-care workers, Carewest has proposed no wage increases for 2020 and 2024, with raises for the other years limited to 1.0 per cent or 1.25 per cent.
Carewest is also seeking concessions including working some overtime without overtime pay; the ability to impose mandatory overtime; the ability to impose mandatory changes to scheduled vacation time; limiting time off for medical appointments; and making it harder to file grievances.
Bobby-Joe Borodey will be available for interviews.
Please contact Terry Inigo-Jones, communications officer, at t.inigo-jones@aupe.org or 403-831-4394.