Joining AUPE makes a difference!
Your negotiating team is very pleased to report that on October 24, we reached a tentative first agreement with the employer. Prior to this agreement, Carewest Administrators had worked a very long time without receiving any wage increases. We are very proud to witness how joining AUPE has had such a huge and positive impact! We were able to negotiate substantive wage increases totaling 19.5% in retroactive wage increases and other wins in this complex first agreement.
This is a small bargaining unit of only 12 members, and they were overlooked by the employer for years. In some cases, their wages were 30% behind market equivalencies. Your negotiating team sees this tentative agreement, with its 19.5% increases, as a great first step, but there is more work to do next year upon expiry.
A ratification meeting will take place virtually on Microsoft Teams on November 20 from 6PM to 7PM. Voting will follow the meeting and will be conducted electronically using Election Buddy. Ballots will be sent to members at 7PM on November 20.
Join the meeting here and entering the below ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 269 829 980 602
Passcode: ffqk7E
The agreement expires October 31, 2024. Highlights are below.
Wage increases
Retroactive pay for the wage increase will be paid back to date of certification, July 20, 2021. Employees will receive retroactive pay within 60 days of the date of ratification.
The agreement establishes new scales to the salary schedule for the basic rates of pay, effective the dates specified.
- Salary Grade I: Business Services Assistant, Education Services Assistant
- July 20, 2021 – 7.5% increase
- July 1, 2022 – 4.0% increase
- July 1, 2023 – 4.0% increase
- July 1, 2024 – 4.0% increase
- Salary Grade II: Staff Scheduler
- July 20, 2021 – 7.5% increase
- July 1, 2022 – 4.0% increase
- July 1, 2023 – 4.0% increase
- July 1, 2024 – 4.0% increase
Benefits
Extended Health & Dental:
- Effective January 1, 2024, the employer will pay 75% of health and dental premiums.
- Administration staff will be moved from the Management Exempt plan and rolled into the Carewest GSS group benefit plan.
Flexible Spending Account:
- Effective January 1, 2024, a $950 flexible spending account will be annually pro-rated to FTE for regular employees (this is not applicable to casual or temporary employees).
- Employees can assign their account to health spending, RRSP/TFSA, or personal spending with usual and customary categories.
Vacation
During each year of continuous service, regular full-time employees will accrue vacation entitlements, as follows:
- Year 0 to 5 – 20 days (8%)
- Year 6 to 15 – 25 days (10%)
- Year 16+ -- 30 days (12%)
If you have any questions about this update, please reach out to a member of your negotiating team.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – CAREWEST GSS
Champi Mohotty
cmohotty@gmail.com
Erica Krumwiede
erica.krumwiede@gmail.com
Tabeel Kyei-Baffour
kyeibaffourtabeel@gmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
James Mitchell, Negotiations
j.mitchell@aupe.org or 905-441-4546
Jaime Urbina, Organizer
j.urbina@aupe.org
Communications
co@aupe.org