Your bargaining committee met with the Employer for five days on January 25th through January 29th. A number of non monetary and housekeeping changes were agreed, and agreement was reached on a revision of the PTO language. The Union tabled our monetary package on Thursday and the parties exchanged counter-proposals throughout the remainder of the week in person and via email on February 2nd and 3rd.

The Employer’s initial monetary proposal included cost sharing of 25% of your health and welfare benefits. Your committee advised them that this was not acceptable.

The Employer’s most recent position is:

• increase prescription drug deductible to $50 single and $100 family, effective date of ratification
• add a $50 single and $100 family deductible to the dental plan, effective 2018
• introduce a probationary rate for the first 488 hours of work which will remain unchanged over the term of the agreement
• Wage increases of from 0.2% to 3.0% in each year depending on your classification and when you were hired. The most common increase offered was 0.5% per year.

The Union’s initial monetary proposal was substantial and included RRSP matched by the Employer, increases to shift premiums, and wage increases of 3% for every member in each year.

The Union’s most recent position was:

• a minimum of 1% increase each year for all members
• higher increases as proposed by the Employer to address recruitment and retention issues for RNs and RCAs
• and less than 10 individual increases of 1.07% to 1.9% for certain classifications in specific years to start to address the two tier wage grid  
• new probationary rate for the first 488 hours of work which will remain unchanged over the term of the agreement
• night shift premium increased to $0.75/hr 
• increase the deductible for prescription drugs to $50/$100 effective January 1, 2017.

The Employer is unwilling to move from their last proposal and has applied for essential service designation. Your committee will meet with the Employer and a mediator appointed by the Labour Relations Board in the near future to try to reach an agreement, and if that is not possible, to start discussing essential service levels.

We will send out more information as it becoames available.

In solidarity

Deb Wilson, Staff Representative, Negotiations    
Michael Dupuis, Bargaining Committee Chairperson
Angela Vicars, Bargaining Committee Member    
Tina Campbell, Bargaining Committee Member

cc. Deb Critchley, Staff Representative    
     Brenda Beckmann, Staff Representative
     Fateh Born, Staff Representative
     Sherry Ogasawara, VP Health Services Component 
     Bernadette Bigattini, Local 407 Chairperson    
     Wayne Chee, Local 403 Chairperson
     Laura Leadbetter-Fuoco, Local 405 Chairperson    

Download PDF of notice here.

UNIFOR467/MoveUP