Tentative agreement reached for Capital Care/St. Joseph’s ANC employees
EDMONTON – A tentative agreement has been reached by negotiators for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the Capital Care/St. Joseph’s employer group.
Working with the assistance of a provincially appointed mediator, the union and employer bargaining committees were able to reach agreement late Friday, June 24, on a collective agreement for approximately 1,000 auxiliary nursing care (ANC) employees of Capital Care Group and Licensed Practical Nurses only at St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital.
If ratified on July 13 by the AUPE members, the agreement averts the threat of a settlement being imposed by compulsory arbitration on employees at the six Capital Care continuing-care worksites and at St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital, a process opposed by the union.
Members of the two Edmonton-area locals — Local 049 (Capital Care) and Local 047/015 (St. Joseph’s) — come under the same collective agreement.
“We held information pickets at these worksites throughout last week to press for a continuation of the mediation process with the aim of reaching a fair collective agreement,” said AUPE Staff Negotiator Terry Agoto, who noted that AUPE opposes compulsory arbitration because it believes the process is biased against unions and their members.
“We are pleased that we achieved that goal and the AUPE bargaining committee is recommending that the members vote to accept the agreement we reached Friday,” Agoto said.
The agreement reached June 24 contains all provisions of the mediator’s earlier recommended settlement — which was overwhelmingly rejected on May 27 in a ratification vote by AUPE — plus one important addition.
As well as including pay increases of three per cent in each year as in the previous recommended settlement, this agreement calls for additional payments in the third year if necessary to bring all employees to the same pay as employees doing the same jobs under AUPE’s Multi-Employer Agreement with eight Alberta health regions, including the Capital Health Region (CHR). Capital Care is a subsidiary of the CHR.
“Because our members have been working without an agreement since July 2004, this agreement will guarantee that effective July 2006 our members will be paid no less than their counterparts throughout the province in all steps of their pay scale,” Agoto said.
As soon as the agreement is ratified, Agoto added, members will receive pay increases including retroactive pay, and will be eligible for improvements in benefits in the agreement.
Ratification Meetings
Ratification meetings at which members are welcome to ask any questions about the tentative agreement will be held at the following locations, dates and times:
Monday, July 4
St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital – 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Education Centre
Tuesday, July 5
Norwood Care Centre – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Conference Room
Dickinsfield Care Centre – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Private Dining Room
Strathcona Care Centre – 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Boardroom
Wednesday, July 6
Grandview Care Centre – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Library
Mewburn Veterans Centre – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Conference Room
Lynnwood Care Centre – 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Conference Room 1
Ratification Vote
The ratification vote will take place on Wednesday, July 13, at all worksites between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Locations for the votes within worksites are as follows:
Norwood – Conference Room
Dickinsfield – Private Dining Room
Strathcona – Boardroom
Grandview – Lyndon Room
Mewburn – Conference Room
Lynnwood – Judy Gregg Room
St. Joseph’s – Pastoral Care Room (Voting times TBA)
AUPE Local 049 and Local 047/015 Joint Bargaining Committee
Diana Forst
Strathcona Care Centre
Chapter 049/006
465-3598
Liberty Pestano
Grandview Care Centre
Chapter 049/002
450-2010
Sharon Westerlund
St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital
477-3229
Debbie Woloshyniuk
Dickinsfield Care Centre
473-8750
Ethel Keats
Mewburn Veterans’ Centre
432-6325
Elda Glover
Lynnwood Care Centre
481-9178
Rose Fuchinsky
Norwood Care Centre
479-3371
Terry Agoto
AUPE Staff Negotiator
930-3309