Covenant Health NC: Embarrassing wages offer shows we are not valued

Covenant Health should be embarrassed.

The employer is so out of touch that it is offering lower wage increases than we have seen at other health-care tables. Some of us use food banks and can’t pay our bills! But that does not seem to matter to Covenant Health.

The employer’s wage offer is:

•    2.5% effective on the date of ratification. This would mean no retroactive increase back to 2024, when the last collective-bargaining agreement expired.
•    2.5% effective no earlier than April 1, 2025.
•    2.25% effective no earlier than April 1, 2026.
•    2.25% effective no earlier than April 1, 2027.

It is clear that Covenant Health does not value the work we do providing front-line care. 

Covenant Health has done nothing since we met in May to address our concerns about members having to use their own vehicles for work, about finding work-life balance, or about improving our benefits.

The employer is still proposing rollbacks for Orthopaedic Technicians and Operating Room Technicians.

Covenant Health says its “mission is to provide healing and care for the whole person in service to all of us in our communities emphasizing compassion dignity, justice, excellence and integrity.” 

They are failing to live up to that mission at the bargaining table.

Work is under way to create an Essential Services Agreement (ESA). The ESA must be completed before we can file for formal mediation, which is the next step in the bargaining process.

Meanwhile, it is vital that you have a MyAUPE account, so please sign up today! If you already have an account, please check that your contact information is correct.

You need an account to participate in future votes, including our ratification vote and possible strike vote. If there is a strike you will receive your strike pay much faster if you have added your direct deposit information to your MyAUPE account.

Visit aupe.org/user/register to create an account today.

AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – COVENANT HEALTH NURSING CARE

Kathy Bandmann, Local 040
kbandmann@hotmail.com

Anita Henderson, Local 046
s69ahenderson@gmail.com

Beverley Hill, Local 040
bhill3095@gmail.com

Derrek Luu, Local 046
derrekluu@yahoo.ca

AUPE RESOURCE STAFF

Chris Dickson, Negotiations
c.dickson@aupe.org