We must show unity as talks head to arbitration
Your negotiating team has rejected the latest attempt by Revera Edgemont Retirement Residence to weaken your collective bargaining agreement.
The two sides met for talks in July and September. The employer presented a package of proposals for the union to consider, but they were modelled on a weaker collective agreement that Revera has at another work site.
The employer’s aim was to harmonize our collective agreement with the weaker one, making things worse for workers at Edgemont, not better.
Your negotiating team said no. The purpose of bargaining is to improve working conditions, not make them worse.
The next step is for negotiations to head to arbitration, where an independent third party tries to help both sides come to an agreement.
Shift premiums
The key problem with the employer’s last proposal was its approach to the premiums or differentials paid for working evenings, nights and weekends.
Working these shifts means that you sacrifice time you would otherwise spend with your families. It’s only fair that you be properly rewarded for taking these challenging shifts.
Normal practice has been that these shift premiums are stacked. For example, if you work on a weekend overnight shift, you get the weekend payment as well as the night payment. That’s fair, because giving up your weekend is one sacrifice and giving up your night is another. You deserve to be compensated for both sacrifices.
Your employer’s last proposal would have meant that there would be no stacking, so if you work overnight at the weekend, you do not get both premium payments.
The employer’s proposal set the shift differential payments as follows:
- Weekday evening shift: $2.25 per hour for LPNs and HCAs;
- Night shift: $3 per hour for LPNs and HCAs;
- Weekend day shift: $2.25 per hour per hour for LPNs and HCAs;
- Weekend evening shift: $3.25 per hour for LPNs and HCAs;
- Weekend night shift: $4.25 per hour per hour for LPNs and HCAs;
- Weekday evening shift: $1.75 per hour for all other employee classifications;
- Weekend shift (Effective July 1, 2023): $2.25 per hour for all other employee classifications.
If we were to accept this lowering of working conditions, Revera would use that to try to impose worse conditions at all of its work sites. It’s important not only for us at Edgemont to resist these attempts, but for workers at other sites.
As usual, the employer seeks to divide and conquer, to use one weaker agreement at one site to impose worse conditions at other sites.
We must counter that with strength and solidarity not just with each other at Edgemont, but with our colleagues at other Revera sites.
Other employer proposals
The employer also proposed increasing contributions to Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs). It currently matches your contributions up to two per cent of your wage and proposed increasing that to three per cent.
It also proposed the following salary increases:
- Jan. 1, 2019: 2%;
- Jan. 1, 2020: 1.75%;
- Jan. 1, 2021: 1.5%;
- Jan. 1, 2022: 1.25%; and
- Jan. 1, 2023: 2%
What’s next?
We will be heading to arbitration meetings on Feb. 10, 21, 27 and 28.
In the meantime, it’s vital that we show Revera that we are united and that we are strong.
We will be organizing some solidarity events to send a message to the employer and we need you to attend. The more who attend, the more that Revera will understand that we mean business. Please stay tuned for news of these events.
If you have questions, concerns or comments, please contact a member of your negotiating team.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM - EDGEMONT RETIREMENT RESIDENCE
Maria Rita Canave
mariaritasamiley@yahoo.com or 403-614-8707
Rosario Boque
rosarioboque1@gmail.com or 403-918-4960
Almaz Sherefa
almazsefera@gmail.com or 587-889-3035
Kim Lim
kimlim60@gmail.com or 403-547-5076
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
John Wevers Negotiations
j.wevers@aupe.org or 780-238-4767
Michelle Szalynski Organizing
m.szalynski@aupe.org or 587-599-7557