Thursday, April 14, 2011

GSBC Town Hall Meeting re Tentative Agreement information

Hi Folks:
We had just over 100 members attend the GSBC Bargaining team Town Hall Meeting in Red Deer on April 12/11 at the Capri Center.







Jim D from Local 002 and part of the GSBC Bargaining team, explained
what the Tentative Agreement entailed and what the process was from the
start till agreement reached on March 31/11.  And also he expressed the
importance of the voting process and that all ballots need to be returned
by May 11/11, ballot counting will happen at HQ on May 12/11.



Cec C. from Local 003 and GSBC bargaining member, also helped in explaining
some of the language pertaining to members in Local 003.



And representing Local 009 Tammy Zimmerman, who did a fantastic job!



And our President Guy Smith, giving a history on what GSBC has being going
through and what action he took, to spark appropriate bargaining. 
Thank you Guy for doing that!



In all the GSBC is recommending that the GSBC members do vote in favor of the
presented Tentative Agreement.
This is your right to vote and I believe that showing a strong return with the ballots is also a strong
message to our employer that we are not complacent about our jobs or of the actions that GOA  
Don’t go unnoticed.
Please fill out your ballot properly and send back to HQ in self addressed and posted envelope
that has been sent to you!

Thanks for your time
Penny Bates
Local 009 Chair


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Important dates

Our Local's AGM's are approaching fast. Please try to get out to them and support YOUR union.

Red Deer- April 13/11 at North Hill Inn- contact Dave Brzak

Calgary- April 18/11 at Tony Romas, 131 Crowfoot Terrace Northwest, Calgary- Contact Ramona Price

Edmonton- April 20/11 at Teddy's, 11361 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton- Contact Dan Purcell

Your Vote matters!

Hello everyone!
Well as exciting as it is to have a T/A there is always some trepidation, and I guess that is the unknown of what it will be like with our employer in 2 1/2 years. Our bargaining team GSBC has been very diligent and has stood strong to get us the best contract they could during the challenging times of late.
Kudos to them and especially to Tammy Zimmerman our bargaining representative for Local 009. she has but in countless hours towards achieving a contract and has sacrificed several days off and time with her family.  Thanks again Tammy for all your hard work it doesn't go unnoticed. 
You will be receiving your ballots shortly in the mail it is imperative that you correctly fill it out and return it!!
No matter if you vote in favor or against the T/A the most important message to our employer is that we care and that we are concerned about our future.
So please the more votes received is more of a message then you can imagine!
Please take the time to vote it only takes seconds.
Also you have your chapter Annual General Meeting approaching shortly, please attend, this is your opportunity to meet you Local/Chapter representative and ask questions or maybe even let your name stand for some positions.
We will be asking for those that want to be a part of the fan out list! This list is crucial for us to continue on with mobilization and just to also have another communication network to get 'the messages out'. 
Thanks again for  your continued support!
Thanks to all of Council and Chapters for your hard work!
PLEASE VOTE!
Penny Bates 
Local 009 Chair
 
 

Monday, April 04, 2011

More Highlights of Tentative Agreement




EDMONTON – Despite a daunting environment of cutbacks, freezes and concessions, your Bargaining Committee (GSBC) has successfully negotiated a two and a half year tentative agreement with the Government of Alberta.
Challenges faced in this round of bargaining, the likes of which have not been seen since the horrendous days of the mid 1990s, appeared insurmountable at times. However, with the ongoing support of a well-informed and involved membership we have negotiated a collective agreement we can all be proud of.
This agreement contains high-level commitment to jointly address ongoing workload issues and contracting out concerns, plus important wording changes in key areas of the agreement, health benefit plan improvements, and significant monetary gains over the life of the agreement.

The GSBC is unanimously recommending that you vote in favour of accepting this agreement. As always, this final decision rests in your hands.
~ Guy Smith, President, AUPE
Highlights of changes to the Collective Agreement are as follows:
Article 12 – Lay-off & Recall
Delete references to Alberta Health Care
Article 15 – Position Abolishment
Amend to include seniority language
Article 18/18A – Shift Differential & Weekend Premium
Increase to $2.25/hour
Article 25 – Correctional Institution Salary Allowance
Delete Supplement I
Article 33A – Long Term Disability
Remove LTDI cap
Article 34 – Health Benefit Plans
Separate LOU on new Health Spending Account
Article 43 – Safety & Health
Change safety program name
Article 47 – Term and Effective Date
Expires March 31, 2013
NEW:
  • 6 & 3 shift provisions
  • Letter of Intent re legal expenses
  • Letter of Understanding re workload and staffing issues
  • Letter of Understanding re review of wage and temporary employees
  • Paid up life certificates discontinued for new employees as of March 31, 2012
  • Health Spending Account of $750.00 effective April 2012 that supplements your existing health benefits plan
  • Changes to schedules for classification names/multi grades (some)
  • Changes for bi-weekly pay
Lump-sum Payments/Grid Increases:
  • Lump-sum: March 31, 2011 – $1750 (paid as soon as possible after ratification)
  • Lump-sum: December 31, 2011 – $1250 (paid in January 2012) NOTE: Lump-sums are pro-rated for part-time/wage employees
  • Grid Increase: Four percent (4%) on grid effective April 1, 2012
The General Services Bargaining Committee recommends acceptance of this tentative agreement.
Ballot packages will be mailed out over the first week of April 2011 to member’s home addresses.
Voting Procedure:
Clearly mark the ballot and return the ballot in the self-addressed postage paid envelope contained in the ballot package.
Mark only one box on the ballot – DO NOT WRITE YOUR PERSONALCOMMENTS ON THE BALLOT. Ballots that are marked inappropriately will be deemed “spoiled” and will not be counted.
All ballots must be returned to AUPE Headquarters Edmonton in the provided self-addressed postage paid envelope by noon on May 11th, 2011 to be counted.
Ballots will be counted and the results released on May 12th, 2011.
The outcome will be determined by the majority (in favor or against) of all returned ballots.
Click here for a list of town hall meetings at which AUPE members can meet members of the GSBC and ask questions about the new agreement.

Friday, April 01, 2011

Agreement reached

AUPE and government of Alberta sign tentative agreement for 21,000 direct government employees

Posted April 01, 2011 in Government Services and tagged with general service, gsbc


EDMONTON – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the government of Alberta have signed a tentative agreement on a new contract for approximately 21,000 direct government employees represented by the union.

The tentative agreement, which was signed by representatives of the two parties at AUPE headquarters in Edmonton yesterday morning, calls for a two and a half year collective agreement with significant improvements in many areas for affected AUPE members.

“The union and the employer had to work very hard to reach this agreement, and I am very proud of the long hours devoted to these negotiations by our bargaining team and the effort put into working with our bargaining team by the government’s negotiators,” said AUPE President Guy Smith.

“This is a historic agreement that our bargaining team should be proud of,” Smith said. “We have not only achieved meaningful pay increases, but have addressed many of the serious concerns our members have had with this agreement for more than three decades.”

Smith said that AUPE’s General Services Bargaining Committee (GSBC), which represents all direct government employees who are members of the union, is recommending ratification of the agreement by members.

Key improvements in the agreement include:

The historic inclusion of seniority provisions in contract language pertaining to position abolishment, for the first time in the history of collective bargaining between the Alberta government and AUPE.
Legal indemnification provisions for all government employees.
Creation of a high-level process to address ongoing workload and staffing level issues faced by the government workforce.
Creation of a process for the continued review regarding the utilization by the employer of wage and temporary staff.
Removal of a cap on long-term disability insurance payments.
In addition, the agreement includes the following monetary provisions:

A lump-sum payment of $1,750 to all current full-time government employees covered by the agreement 30 days after the agreement is ratified by members, with pro-rated payments for part-time and wage employees.
A lump-sum payment of $1,250 to all current full-time government employees covered by the agreement in January 2012, with pro-rated payments for part-time and wage employees.
A 4-per-cent across-the-board pay increase on April 1, 2012.
A $750 annual health spending account effective April 1, 2012.
An increase in both shift differential and weekend premium pay from $1.75 to $2.25 per hour upon ratification of the agreement.
Improvements and enhancements to extended health benefits.
AUPE will move ahead with a series of town hall meetings for members in all parts of the province at which members of the GSBC will be available to discuss the tentative agreement with affected government employees. Full details of the meeting schedule will be available on AUPE’s website, www.aupe.org.

All members of AUPE Locals 001 to 012 will then have an opportunity to take part in a mail-in ratification vote, said AUPE Staff Negotiator Jim Petrie, who noted that the process of receiving and counting the ballots is expected to take about a month.

If ratified by the union’s members, the agreement will run until March 31, 2013.

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For more information, contact:

Guy Smith, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301 or 780-265-2294 (cellular phone)
Jim Petrie, Union Representative, AUPE, 780-930-3335 or 780-399-8755 (cellular phone)
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (cellular phone)