Auxiliary Nursing Care deal ratified for Bethany Care Calgary, Tentative Agreement signed for Harvest Hills
CALGARY – AUPE Auxiliary Nursing Care members employed by Bethany Care Calgary ratified a new four-year agreement yesterday that includes substantial wage increases and addresses parity issues with other bargaining units.
The agreement affects approximately 340 Auxiliary Nursing Care (ANC) employees, and expires on November 1, 2011.
“This is agreement earned our members support by acceptably addressing key concerns they had related to general pay increases, and increases for shift and weekend differentials,” said AUPE Staff Negotiator Ken Cutrell.
The agreement generally mirrors the deal ratified by AUPE’s ANC multi group yesterday in a ballot count at Edmonton headquarters. The Bethany Calgary agreement contains a general pay increase of 5 per cent in the first year, 5 per cent in the second year, 4.5 per cent or the Alberta Average Weekly Earnings (whichever is higher) in the third year, and 4.5 per cent or the Alberta Average Weekly Earnings (whichever is higher) in the fourth year.
In addition, most ANC members employed at Bethany Calgary will receive a market adjustment of 10 per cent in the first year of the agreement, for a total first-year pay increase of 15 per cent. Some specific groups of employees will receive larger market adjustments. The agreement also includes significant improvements to benefits.
“I would like to commend our ANC members at Bethany Care Calgary for the solidarity and resolve they demonstrated while we negotiated this agreement with the employer,” said AUPE President Doug Knight, who was on site for the vote and assisted with the ballot count.
“Their support for their bargaining team was essential during the long negotiation period that brought this agreement forward,” Knight added.
An identical tentative agreement was signed Wednesday, Aug. 20 by the bargaining unit that represents approximately 50 ANC members employed by Bethany Care Harvest Hills.