LOCAL 118 CHAPTERS 018 & 019 - ALL STAFF
Member solidarity crucial in getting new contract
AUPE members employed by the Legal Aid Society have voted to approve the tentative agreement reached with the employer, with 75 per cent voting in favour.
The employer has also ratified the agreement, meaning that the new collective agreement is now in place.
Your negotiating team is grateful for the strength members have shown during the bargaining process. This was not an easy round of bargaining, but the solidarity shown by members was crucial in getting a deal.
Copies of the new agreement will be made available as soon as possible.
The employer’s position on Earned Days Off (EDOs) was one of the challenges faced in negotiations.
We were advised near the start of mediation that the employer wanted to get rid of EDOs. This fits with the approach seen in previous rounds of bargaining, when the employer has dwindled down the amount of EDO time.
However, this time the negotiating team was able to achieve a fair and equitable trade-off after receiving the direction from the majority of the membership that working from home, wage increases and EDO or equivalent were the their top priorities.
The agreement provides for the following “trade-offs” in exchange for removing EDOs, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
- An increase in daily hours of work from 7 to 7.25 hrs/day. This will mean an increase in income of approximately 3.6% as a result of being paid to work longer (instead of banking this time as paid time off).
- Two paid “bonus days.”
- An increase to 6 (from 4) days of casual illness which can be used for family illness.
- A Letter of Understanding allowing Employees to request to work from home on an ongoing basis.
It also achieves the following wage increases:
- Jan. 1, 2023 – 1.25%
- Sept. 1, 2023 – 1.5%
It is also important to point out that this agreement does not contain any of the rollbacks and damaging changes our employer had started bargaining with.
If you have questions, please contact a member of your negotiating team.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – LEGAL AID SOCIETY
Jan Davidson-Carey
403-404-2307 jan.davidson@hotmail.com
Michele Lucas
780-288-2535 michele.lucas394@hotmail.com
Peter Dubourt
780-293-5141 pdubourt@yahoo.ca
Raman Deep (Alternate)
780-905-9662 ramandeep_83@hotmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
Merryn Edwards Negotiations
m.edwards@aupe.org
Farid Iskandar Organizing
f.iskandar@aupe.org
Terry Inigo-Jones Communications
t.inigo-jones@aupe.org