“They were strongly opposed to the concessions offered by employers and to a collective agreement that respects them and the services they provide.” The union said the government had withdrawn the concessions it had demanded, including: After “difficult” negotiations, members of the Alberta Provincial Employees Union voted Monday in favor of a proposed mediation solution on a new collective agreement with the provincial government. At the beginning of the negotiations, government negotiators offered public sector workers a four per cent wage refund. They also wanted concessions on overtime pay, shift differences and weekend bonuses. Smith said he believes this latest deal with the administration would have an impact on those other negotiating tables. Government Services workers yesterday ratified a three-year collective agreement after votes were counted at AUPE`s head office in Edmonton. In a press release Wednesday morning, the union said its government services bargaining committee had reached a mediation agreement for a new collective agreement for the 22,000 members who work in the public service. “This agreement recognizes the province`s long-term economic prospects and provides members with an increase in compensation during the third and fourth years of the contract. » Local 001 – Rebecca Leblanc (GSBC Vice-President) leblare@gmail.com Local 002 – Andrea Waywanko waywaa@hotmail.com Local 003 – Dax Lydiard 003bargaining@gmail.com Local 004 – Steve Eagles s-eagles@shaw.ca Local 005 – Randy Ramsden r.a.ramsden@hotmail.com Local 006 – Tom Grinnell tgrinnel@lakeheadu.ca Local 009 – Angela Pala rossieyork@shaw.ca Local 012 – Terrie Wispinski twisp@shaw.ca on AUPE resources staff Dale Perry, negotiations spokesperson d.perry@aupe.org Merryn Edwards, negotiations spokesperson m.edwards@aupe.org Julie Jacques, j.jacques@aupe.org terry inigo-jones, communications t.inigo-jones@aupe.org, Mimi Williams, communications m.williams@aupe.org During last year`s negotiations, the government proposed a four per cent wage cut for workers. The government also wanted other concessions, including paying for overtime and benefits, but these are not part of the final deal, Smith said. Alberta government employees, represented by the Alberta Provincial Employees Union, have ratified a new collective agreement that extends job security for permanent employees until the end of 2022 and provides for small wage increases in the last 15 months of the agreement. “We were firmly determined not to give in. We certainly wouldn`t accept concessions, and I think they (the government) understood the point, quite honestly, and I give them credit for that by ensuring that we, as a union, our frontline members of government services, do what we need to do now, which is support Albertans during the pandemic.
A proposed new collective agreement for the 22,000 government employees of the Alberta Provincial Employees Union (AUPE) includes an initial wage freeze, followed by increases and promises not to outsource maintenance until at least the end of 2022, the union said. AUPE President Guy Smith said bargaining for the collective agreement was the biggest challenge for the union in about 25 to 30 years. The rest of the collective agreement came into force with ratification on Monday. The new agreement expires on March 31, 2024. “We believe the government wanted to set a tone that will likely be replicated at other bargaining tables. That`s historically what happened — that this collective agreement with the Alberta government itself, if you will, points the way forward for others,” he said. The agreement, which is valid until the 31st. The agreement, ratified by 91% of AUPE members who voted, provides employees with a salary increase of 1.25% on 1 January 2023 and an increase of 1.5% on 1 September 2023. Workers could receive an additional 0.5% increase on the last day, depending on economic factors.
“As these negotiations progressed, our members overcame a deadly global pandemic while continuing to provide essential services to Albertans. We appreciate our members` determination to support each other and their negotiating team,” added Mr. Smith. Read more: Alberta government calls on unionized public sector workers to make a 4% wage cut The two sides have reached a mediation proposal after 20 months of negotiations, the government and union said in separate press releases on Wednesday. “And we`ve all seen the kind of difficulties the government is having right now in terms of popularity, and I think they realize it was the right thing to do, quite honestly, to move forward with more respect for their own employees. The collective agreement has expired and is being renegotiated by the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Provincial Employees Union. Therefore, printed copies of the agreement are not currently distributed. The new agreement provides for an eight per cent salary increase for members who are now part of the Provincial Rural Integrated Defence Response Force (RAPID), retroactive to 1. April 2021. “I didn`t expect us to get to this point. We believed that the government was committed to obtaining concessions from members on salary cuts, other benefits and other salary issues.
“It meets many of our needs in some key areas such as job security,” Smith said Wednesday morning. “There have been a few wage increases in the last year of the deal and virtually all concessions have been taken off the table.” Smith suspects that a number of factors led the government to withdraw its request for concessions. AUPE members are ready to strike if necessary, and the government does not want to deal with widespread workers` unrest, he said. These concessions have been withdrawn by the employer and will remain the current wording of the regulation on which you will vote. What the negotiated agreement entails and what will be part of a new collective agreement when it is ratified by members is: “I think the fact that we had a mediator was very helpful, but I also want to acknowledge the hard work that the government negotiators have done, as well as our own bargaining team to get there. where we are now, where we have something to present to our members,” he said. Their GSBC recommends the ratification of the negotiated agreement on the basis that there are no concessions (a position we have firmly maintained), that job security will be extended until the end of 2022 and that in 2023 there will be a total wage increase of 2.75% and probably up to 3.25% (based on the economic indicators of the time). Voting kits for ratification will be sent to you in November. These contain detailed information about the negotiated settlement proposal, a ballot, a stamped envelope and instructions on how to return your ballot. Your GSBC is working to host telephone town halls on November 9 and 10, 2021 to answer your questions and any concerns you may have about the proposed settlement.
More information on these dates can be found in your e-mail and in the unions` bulletin boards. The results of the ratification vote will be published as soon as the ballots have been counted by the GSBC in mid-December. If members decide to reject the mediator`s recommendation, the next step will be formal mediation once the Essential Services Agreement (ISA) has been certified by the Alberta Labour Relations Board. In this case, members should be aware that changes to the agreement recommended by this current informal mediator may disappear so that your negotiating team starts where we left off – with all previous concessions on the table. We will continue to prepare our members for a possible strike or lockout if formal mediation does not lead to a settlement. We know that this has been a very stressful time for all of our government department members. In addition to the fears and challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, we have also faced serious threats of concessions and setbacks from the employer. .
