No discussion of monetary items yet
Your negotiations team met with representatives of the employer, the Government of Alberta, on March 4 and 5.
In this session, there was no discussion of any monetary items including wage raises; the employer’s proposal for market adjustments (reclassifications); shift differentials; and overtime. It is normal practice to deal with non-monetary items first and to discuss monetary items later.
We signed off on unopened articles and on some housekeeping changes to other articles in the collective agreement.
We also signed off on more substantive changes to the following articles:
- Article 13, Attendance: 13.01 (b), which deals with non-shift workers being absent. These employees can now report their absence “as soon as possible but, in any event, no later than thirty (30) minutes after the normal starting time.”
- Article 16, Hours of Work: 16:07 inserts a new item that says: “The Employer shall not change an Employee’s shift schedule where it results in the Employee’s scheduled start and end times being changed with less than five (5) days’ notice, unless the change is due to an emergency or mutually agreed between the Employee and the Employer.”
- Article 38, Special Leave: Updates item 38.01 (b), which deals with bereavement leave, adding that the time can be taken off around the time of death and/or funeral, instead of just around the time of the funeral.
The housekeeping changes, in which we agreed to minor updates to the language in some articles, included the following articles:
- Article 7, Personal File;
- Article 8, Union Membership and Dues Check-Off;
- Article 21, Standby Pay;
- Article 30, Institutional Fire Prevention and Control Firefighters Schedule of Remuneration;
- Article 40, Adoption/Parental Leave;
- Article 40A, Maternity Leave;
- Article 45, Pay Administration;
- Article 46, Leave Without Pay
- Article 51, Recruitment, Selection and Appointment;
- Article 55, Compassionate Care Leave; and
- Letter of Understanding #2 – Lookouts;
To see a list of the unopened articles, click here.
The next round of talks has been scheduled for March 24 and 25. Further negotiations are scheduled for April 1 and 2 and April 21 and 22.
To read the full ingoing proposals from the union and the employer, please click here.
Your Government Services Bargaining Committee (GSBC)
Rebecca Leblanc, Local 001, leblare@gmail.com
Andrea Waywanko, Local 002, waywaa@hotmail.com
Dax Lydiard, Local 003, 003bargaining@gmail.com
Steve Eagles, Local 004, s-eagles@shaw.ca
Randy Ramsden, Local 005, r.a.ramsden@hotmail.com
Donna Smith, Local 006, xsmith@telus.net
Angela Pala, Local 009, rossieyork@shaw.ca
Ken Podulsky (GSBC Vice-chair), Local 012, pudley68@telus.net
AUPE staff resources
Dale Perry, negotiations spokesperson, d.perry@aupe.org
Merryn Edwards, negotiations spokesperson, m.edwards@aupe.org
Farris Sobhani, organizer, f.sobhani@aupe.org
Madelaine Sommers, organizer, m.sommers@aupe.org
Terry Inigo-Jones, communications, t.inigo-jones@aupe.org