Your negotiating team met with the employer on July 15. We reached a tentative agreement and will hold a ratification vote soon. We will send you all the details soon, including voting dates and the complete collective agreement (CA) for you to review.
The new CA will expire March 31, 2025. We made gains in 2023 wages, night-shift premium, and benefits across the board. We will meet again to negotiate 2024 wages. If we cannot reach an agreement there, it will go to interest arbitration.
There are a lot of moving pieces with this agreement, as we have eight worksites combining into one CA, including two new sites. These sites are Buffalo Grace Manor, Centre de Sainté Saint Thomas, Chateau Vitaline, Foyer Lacombe, Holy Cross Manor, St. Marguerite Manor, St. Teresa Place, and Villa Marie.
Tentative CA improvements include:
Wage increases from April 1, 2023, will match the April 1 rate from Alberta Health Services, up to a maximum of 2% full retroactivity. New sites of Buffalo Grace Manor and Saint Thomas will not get retroactive pay, but their current wages will increase approximately 3.2%;
Employees with an existing CA who have wages higher than the AHS rates will not receive an increase in their base pay rate, but they will get a lump sum payment of 2% of basic rate of pay for hours worked between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024;
Health Spending Account will increase by $100, bringing the total to $900;
All employees working a 0.40 FTE will now qualify for benefits.
Cook I, Cook II, Food Services Worker, and Maintenance get a third step added to their classifications;
Night shift premium will increase from $4.50 per hour to $5.00 per hour, starting the first pay period after ratification;
Employees with 15 or more years of service will get five weeks’ vacation, effective April 1, 2025;
Two paid personal leave days will be available for any personal matters (instead of limited to specific reasons requiring proof), though you must still give as much advanced notice as possible;
Named Holidays now include National Day for Truth and Reconciliation;
Annual reimbursement of licensing fees increases from $200 to $250, effective January 1, 2025. Social Workers, Dieticians, Occupational Therapists, and Physiotherapists are now allowed to participate;
New letter of understanding supports hiring of candidates completing their 5th Class Power Engineering Certificate during probation;
New letter of understanding increases health benefits to match the current plan for Chateau Vitaline. This will be a significant increase in coverage for St. Teresa Place, Foyer Lacombe, St. Marguerite Manor, Holy Cross Manor, Buffalo Grace Manor, Villa Marie, and Saint Thomas. Highlights below;
Non-monetary items also improve, which were highlighted in previous bargaining updates.
Extended health benefits highlights:
Drug coverage and paramedical coverage (including psychologist, massage therapist, and chiropractor) increase. Instead of a combined maximum of $500 for all paramedical services, coverage will be $300 for each type of service per benefit year.
A new dental plan with:
80% basic coverage;
50% extensive coverage;
50% orthodontic coverage;
$2,000 annual maximum for basic and extensive coverage;
$2,000 lifetime maximum for orthodontic coverage.
Consistent short-term disability coverage for all sites:
Elimination period of 14 days, or the first working day after sick leave credits are exhausted;
67.67% income replacement with a weekly maximum of $1,539;
Duration of 26 weeks.
Consistent long-term disability coverage for all sites:
Elimination period of 26 weeks;
65% income replacement for the first $2,000, 55% of the next $2,500, and 45% of the rest, to a maximum of $6,000 per month;
Duration to age 65.
Improved life insurance, accidental death, and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage, and dependent life coverage for Chateau Vitaline to match the coverage at other sites.
We will send you the full tentative agreement soon, as well as details about the ratification vote. Watch for updates!
If you have any questions, please contact a member of your negotiating team.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – COVENANT CARE
Buffalo Grace Manor
Janneke Huisman
[email protected]
Kale Dorchak
[email protected]
Chateau Vitaline
Kelsey Knibbs
[email protected] or 780-915-1532
Junel Samalio
[email protected] or 780-994-1312
Filma Casimero
[email protected] or 780-885-5540
Foyer Lacombe
Nancy Alexander
[email protected] or 780-974-9608
Ravi Sodhi
[email protected] or 780-695-9176
Finuela Barnachea
[email protected] or 780-566-1297
Holy Cross Manor
Mila Bulan
[email protected] or 587-229-9379
Delia Dutin
[email protected] or 403-922-7290
Heloise Mariano
[email protected] or 403-891-9981
St. Marguerite Manor
Tory Meyer (Dulcina)
[email protected] or 403-401-3549
Amanda Larocque
[email protected] or 403-681-7461
St. Teresa Place
Lorna Agustin
[email protected] or 403-667-7013
Lea Hibbs
[email protected] or 403-606-1583
Carolee Taylor
[email protected] or 587-700-6193
St. Thomas
Cristine Manalayasay
[email protected] or 780-920-7188
Fatuma Egamusa
[email protected] or 780-240-8101
Bibata Rouamba
[email protected] or 780-668-2164
Villa Marie
Charmie Liquit
[email protected] or 587-877-4759
Nancy Lydom
[email protected] or 403-872-6518
Jose Gallardo
[email protected] or 587-447-7643
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Christian Tetreault Negotiations
[email protected]
