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AUPE News & Updates
Member Updates
Member Update: July 13, 2004
AUPE requests assistance of mediator in NorQuest negotiations
EDMONTON — After only four meetings, negotiations between the
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and NorQuest College have reached
a stalemate.
As a result, AUPE has requested that the Alberta Labour Relations Board
appoint a mediator to assist the parties to resolve the dispute.
The mandate and priorities of the AUPE Local 071/010 Bargaining Committee
were clearly established by the input of the membership. AUPE represents
approximately 200 non-academic employees of the Edmonton post-secondary
institution.
However, members’ priorities were rejected by college negotiators.
In particular, two major areas of disagreement are:
- Treatment of Term Employees
- Salary increases
The union’s proposal with respect to Term Employment states
that a Term Employee other than one in a replacement position (sick
leave, maternity leave) who is employed for more than 24 months
of continuous service shall become a Permanent employee.
The college outright rejects this proposal and insists they need the
“flexibility” of the current arrangement. The current “flexible”
arrangement has almost half of the support staff complement, 93 employees,
under Term Employment status.
More than half of these employees have two or more years of service,
with a good number of them having been hired in the 1990s. This is a
major issue and your union Bargaining Team is determined to end the
years of abuse of Term Employment by the College!
The parties are also far apart on the matter of salary increases. The
college put forward their “best offer” on June 30, 2004
— 3.5 per cent in the first year and 3 per cent in the second
year of a two-year agreement.
The union proposal reflects what the academic staff received in their
last round of bargaining, which was 5.5 per cent and 4 per cent per
year in a two-year deal. Also, the Union has proposed an additional
Step 7 on the salary grid that would be applied to employees with seven
years of continuous service.
These are the major issues in dispute, but there is also disagreement
in the areas of shift differential and weekend premium, who will pay
for medical certificates if there is a charge, and new union language
that would take into consideration, length of continuous service, qualifications,
experience and abilities when the college implements staff reductions.
As of the date of this update, a mediator has not yet been appointed.
Once that is done dates for mediation will be set for some time in September.
Hopefully the influence of this third party will move the college to
a more reasonable position.
Please stay tuned for further updates from your union.
Your Bargaining Team members are:
Richard Parker
Myron Moritz
Paul Oss
Ellen Pollard
Steve Nimchuk – Union Representative
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