Bargaining Begins - Employer Tables Rollbacks
Your AHS GSS negotiating team met with the employer on February 12 and 13 to exchange proposals.
We submitted a full proposal that puts job security and work-life balance first. All articles and Letters of Understanding that weren’t opened by either party were signed off on.
Unfortunately, the employer’s proposal was full of concessions and rollbacks that would be devastating for you and your fellow AHS GSS workers.
Employer Tables Rollbacks
The employer’s proposals are insulting. They have proposed a four year contract that would cut the 1% raise we only just received from independent arbitration followed by three more years of zeroes.
Here are just some of the worst proposals submitted by the employer.
The employer wants to remove your split shift language and multiple committees and language gains we achieved in the last round of bargaining.
They want to cut the window for weekend premium from 64 hours to 48 hours.
They want to take away the super-stats and floater days.
Worse, they want to cut your shift differentials and premiums. While AHS wants to reduce UNA’s evening premiums from $2.75 to $2.11, night premiums from $5 to $3.10, and weekend premiums from $3.25 to $2.55 per hour, here’s what they’re proposing to us:
- Evening shift differential cut from $2.75 to $1.55 per hour;
- Night shift differential cut from $5 to $2 per hour;
- Weekend premium cut from $3.25 to $1.60 per hour;
- Changing the starting hours for the evening shift differential from 1500 hours to 1900 hours.
This is insulting. In fact, AHS GSS members had higher rates over a decade ago than what the employer has now offered us.
By submitting these proposals, the employer shows they have no respect for us and consider us dispensable.
The employer has proposed over 60 concessions in total. But your negotiating team is not having any of it.
The UCP government has obviously given AHS a mandate to slash and burn away health care spending, and the employer seems willing to do so at the expense of both staff and patients.
We will not accept concessions and we will not accept rollbacks. We have fought hard for the gains we’ve made and have even taken job action when necessary. That’s how important your collective agreement is. We will not agree to turn back the clock.
Next Meetings
Our next bargaining meetings with the employer are scheduled for March 11 and 12. A full summary of the employer’s opening proposals will be available early next week on the AUPE website.
Stay strong and support each other. Your negotiating team is dedicated to representing you at the bargaining table and keeping you informed throughout negotiations. Please contact a member of the team or your AUPE resource staff if you have any questions.
Negotiating Team
Local 054
Nancy Woods - nancy.janer@gmail.com
Julie Woodford (A) - juliew.chp006@gmail.com
Local 056
Tammy Lanktree (A) - local56.bargaining@gmail.com
Local 057
Darren Graham - chairlocal057@aupe.ca
Wendy Kicia (A) - wendykicia@hotmail.com
Local 058
Anton Schindler - waterdude69@gmail.com
Dave Ibach (A) - dl322j@gmail.com
Local 095
Stacey Ross - sross13@shaw.ca
Dusan Milutinovic (A) - dusan.aupe@yahoo.com
Lamont Health Care Centre GSS
Lorrie Tarka - lorrietarka@hotmail.com
Carol Palichuk - carolpalichuk@hotmail.com
AUPE Resource Staff
Chris Dickson, Negotiator - c.dickson@aupe.org
Farid Iskandar, Organizer - f.iskandar@aupe.org
Kate Jacobson, Organizer - k.jacobson@aupe.org
Alexander Delorme, Communications - a.delorme@aupe.org