After seven days of mediation, your bargaining committee has reached impasse with our employer. We are continuing to negotiate essential service levels this week to determine who will be allowed to participate in job action. 

You elected your bargaining committee to negotiate on all our behalf and we have been working hard from the beginning to move the employer from their initial position. Their early offers were far from what we have gotten them to agree to. 

The employer's initial offer was unacceptable and insulting. They not only failed to meaningfully address many of your concerns, but also asked workers to give up rights and benefits negotiated in previous agreements
Here are some of the concessions LifeLabs came to the table with:

• Reduce vacation entitlement by 2 weeks
• Cap the sick leave entitlement for absences under 5 days 
• Eliminate the paid leave to attend medical and dental appointments 
• Change the Courier routes to 12.5 hours at straight-time before overtime kicks in
• Reduce the number of hours in the special leave bank 
• Introduce a "drug formulary" for prescription drugs which limits the type of medications that are covered
• Reduce the shift differentials, the mileage allowance and the meal allowance premiums
• Have all employees pay 100% of their premiums for LTD

They also expected us to take a five-year agreement with only 1% pay increases each year.

What we have accomplished so far didn't come easily. We've worked hard to get here. Your solidarity and strong strike vote have brought us this far and we will need to stick together now, more than ever, to get a fair deal.

Here's what we are still fighting for:

• Pensions - LifeLabs is owned by a pension plan yet they refuse to provide staff with a pension that will allow us to retire with dignity. For 20 years or more our members have been asking that we seek a Defined Benefit pension and now we have the opportunity to get into a pension plan that is both indexed and life-long.
• LTD premiums – some staff are paying hundreds of dollars out of their paycheques to ensure they are covered should they be unable to work. Our employer should be paying these premiums. 
• Closing the wage gap – We are far behind what our counterparts in the hospitals make and we need to start catching up to get paid what we are worth. According to the Canadian Price Index, the cost of living is currently rising at a rate of 4.1% per year. With what the employer is offering, our wages will fall behind in real terms and we will lose buying power each year.
• A fair retention bonus – LifeLabs is only offering a one-time payment that does not address the fact that they offered a large retention bonus to some and not others. On top of that, with a lump sum, we will be taxed right away on the full amount. We are asking for a retention bonus that goes on the grid and is paid out through our wages over time. A bonus added to wages will mean more money in our pockets in the long-run as it will compound with any new wage increases.

Things will move quickly in the coming days and it's important that everyone stays informed. Our employer will continue to try to break our solidarity and weaken our bargaining position as our job action progresses. Please make sure you get the facts from us. 

We've put together an FAQ based on the questions we've been getting from members. You can read it here.

Once we know what essential service levels look like, we will be in a position to serve 72-hour strike notice. We'll be in touch soon to tell you more about what that will look like.

We're proud of what we've accomplished together so far and we're confident that if we show LifeLabs that we are united we can get a fair deal. Thank you for your continued trust and support. 

In solidarity,

01 Mandy DeFields, Bargaining Committee Chairperson [email protected] 
02 Kristie Carano, Bargaining Committee Member [email protected]
03Maryam Baghalha, Bargaining Committee Member [email protected]
04 Rosario Viray, Bargaining Committee Member [email protected] 
05, 09 & 11 Wendy Cummer, Bargaining Committee Member
[email protected] 
Linsay Buss, Staff Representative - Negotiations [email protected] 

UWU/MoveUP