Bargaining Update: Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005

EDMONTON — The AUPE bargaining committees in negotiations for region-wide Auxiliary Nursing Care agreements with all nine Alberta health regions have now presented all the union’s non-monetary proposals to the employers’ negotiators.

Negotiations for the region-wide agreements, which are required under provincial legislation passed in the spring of 2003, are taking place at two tables — one with representatives of eight regions, the other with the Calgary Health Region, which insisted on going it alone.

The AUPE Bargaining Committee in the Multi-Employer Auxiliary Nursing Care negotiations met with representatives of the Provincial Health Authorities of Alberta (PHAA), which bargains on behalf of eight Alberta health regions, on Jan. 20 and 21 in Edmonton.

AUPE’s Calgary ANC Bargaining Team met with representatives of the Calgary Health Region in Calgary on Jan. 18 and 19.
At both tables, said AUPE Staff Negotiator Jim Petrie, most non-monetary issues have been resolved but a few key issues remain outstanding.

Petrie said the key non-monetary issues still outstanding at both tables are:

• Hours of Work.
  
• Layoff and Recall
  
• Seniority.

“ We hope that we will be able to reach agreement on these important non-monetary issues in the next few days of bargaining at both tables,” Petrie said.

AUPE negotiators expect to present the union’s monetary proposals very soon in both rounds of negotiations, Petrie added.
In the Multi-Employer negotiations, more bargaining is scheduled for Feb. 14 and 15, March 21 and 22, and March 30 and 31, Petrie said. In the Calgary negotiations, he said, additional bargaining days are scheduled for Feb. 23 and 24, and March 7 and 8.

The negotiations for a new region-wide agreements are the outcome of Bill 27, legislation passed in the spring of 2003 that requires all existing agreements with all nine Alberta health regions to be consolidated into single region-wide contracts in each region.

At the Multi-Employer table, 15 agreements must be consolidated into eight identical region-wide contracts.

At the Calgary table, six agreements must be melded into one.

However, Petrie noted, the Multi-Employer negotiations are more complicated than the Calgary round because AUPE’s agreement with the eight health regions is in the “expired period” under Alberta labour law.

“ That means we are not merely trying to find common ground so we can consolidate 15 contracts into one, but are also aiming to make significant improvements in a number of areas for our members.”

The agreements that must be consolidated include the old Community Health and Mental Health agreements.

Click here for a copy in easy-to-print PDF format of the update prepared for AUPE’s Auxiliary Nursing Care members who are represented at the Multi-Employer table.

Click here for a copy in PDF format of the update prepared for AUPE’s ANC members represented at the Calgary table.

Both updates contain the names of Bargaining Committee members.