OPH: Employer's unacceptable response to our wage proposal

Your negotiating team met the employer from July 28 to July 30 to continue bargaining.  

We presented our proposal for our top priorities: wage increases, benefits and vacation pay for part-time employees, equity in shift differentials across classifications and worksites in Edmonton managed by the same employer, and improvements to leaves and benefits.

The employer responded with no movement on any of these priorities and an insulting and unacceptable wage offer:

• Jan. 1, 2024 – 1.5%
• Jan. 1, 2025 – 1.5%
• Jan. 1, 2026 – 1.25%
• Jan. 1, 2027 – 1.25%

We will never accept this proposal. We proposed setting a minimum living wage of $20.85 for our lowest paid members and mirroring other unions’ agreements so nursing care and higher paid support classification wages are the same as similar workers across the province. This also aligns the wage grid with other Cogir sites. The proposal includes 3% increases over 4 years and 4% increases between steps.  

We know our uniform allowance is not nearly good enough, so we have also proposed that the employer provides uniforms moving forward.  

The employer has been shorting us on the statutory holiday pay. They are paying us much less than we are owed and cannot explain why.  

The employer is also underpaying us on vacation payments because they are only calculating regularly scheduled shifts. They should be including all the income that make up our gross earnings, including overtime and other paid hours.

And, for HCAs, the $2 should be applied on all hours paid, not just all hours worked.

Please check your pay stubs for stat holiday pay, vacation pay, and HCA wage top up. Call the Member Resource Centre at 1-800-232-7284 if you have been paid less than you are owed. We are filing grievances about this. If we don’t reach a settlement in bargaining, the grievances will go to arbitration.

Your negotiating team thanks you for your continued support and patience throughout bargaining. We couldn’t do it without you! A special thank you to members who have already filed grievances to fight for your rights and the pay you deserve.

We will meet again for bargaining on October 22, 23, and 24, and will keep you updated after that time.

Please reach out to a member of your negotiating team with any questions or concerns.

AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM - OUR PARENTS HOME

Renalene Zarate
norlhen.lc@gmail.com

Jazmin Rana
ranajazzmin4@gmail.com

Nerissa Rago
skychurch0978@yahoo.com

Ardra Jaidev
gthardra59@gmail.com

Zeus Ng
zeus_ng@outlook.com

Nimita Gounder
nim.mohan@gmail.com

AUPE RESOURCE STAFF

Merryn Edwards de la O Negotiations
m.edwardsdelao@aupe.org