Bargaining Update; Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005

EDMONTON — After bargaining sessions on Feb. 15 and 16, bargaining representatives of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ Auxiliary Nursing Care members and eight of the province’s nine health regions have found themselves apart on a wide variety of important issues.

In addition to significant disagreements about a variety of non-monetary issues and the pace of negotiations for region-wide Multi-Employer Auxiliary Nursing Care agreements, employer representatives ignored AUPE’s objections and tabled an unsatisfactory wage proposal, said AUPE Staff Negotiator Jim Petrie, who leads the union Bargaining Committee.

“ The idea that these negotiations will be used to rush our members into a lowest-common-denominator agreement, or worse, is simply not acceptable to AUPE, said Petrie.”

The key areas of disagreement in non-monetary issues are hours of work, seniority and layoff and recall language, Petrie said.

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EMPLOYER MONETARY PROPOSAL

“There is absolutely no way that AUPE members will accept the employer’s monetary proposal for wage increases of only two per cent a year over four years, with no change on other monetary issues,” Petrie said.

“The proposed wage increases are too low and the term of the agreement is too long for our members. The lack of attention to other monetary areas is entirely unacceptable,” Petrie said.

“ This ridiculous proposal will do nothing but anger AUPE’s members.”

Petrie said AUPE expects to table the union’s wage proposals in the very near future.

AUPE is negotiating with the HBA Services (HBA), which bargains on behalf of all eight health regions, for new region-wide collective agreements for all Auxiliary Nursing Care employees of all Alberta health regions except the Calgary Health Region.

The Calgary region has insisted on bargaining at a separate table.

NEXT BARGAINING DATES SET

The next bargaining dates in this round of negotiations have been set for March 22 and 23, Petrie said.

The negotiations for new region-wide agreements are the outcome of the Labour Relations (Regional Health Authorities Restructuring) Amendment Act, still widely known as Bill 27, passed by the Alberta Legislature in March 2003.

The legislation requires all existing agreements with all nine Alberta health regions to be consolidated into single region-wide contracts in each region.

Fifteen agreements must be consolidated at the Multi-Employer ANC table.

These negotiations are made even more complicated, Petrie explained, because AUPE’s current Multi-Employer ANC agreement with the health regions is in the “expired period” under Alberta labour law, so that union negotiators are not only striving to consolidate agreements but to make improvements for members.

In addition to the old Multi-Employer ANC agreement, the contracts that must be consolidated include the old Community Health and Mental Health agreements.

AUPE represents ANC employees of all Alberta health regions.

UPDATES TO CONTINUE

As negotiations continue between AUPE and the HBA, regular updates like this one will continue.

The names of Bargaining Committee members are included in this update and members are welcome to contact them for more detailed information.

Also, AUPE’s Website — www.aupe.org — will be updated from time to time with the most current information.
As negotiations continue, special meetings may be required about specific issues.

Multi-Employer ANC Bargaining Committee

Gloria Surridge
Committee Chair
Royal Alexandra Hospital

Bob Mack
Alberta Hospital Edmonton

Terry Orcheski
St. Mary’s Hospital Camrose & Home Care

Brenda Thacker
Peace River Health Complex & Community

Myrna Wright
Vice-Chair
Pincher Creek Hospital

Audrey Nicholas
Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre Lloydminster

Remy Sanchez
Edmonton General Hospital

Terry Sawchuk
Home Care Palliser

Lorraine Stone
Community Grande Prairie

Jim Petrie
AUPE Staff Negotiator