Friday, August 27, 2010

RED DEER ADVOCATE: AUPE, CUPE vie to represent Extendicare staff in first contract


Two competing unions are wooing new staff at Extendicare’s Michener Hill Village seniors complex in Red Deer.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the Canadian Union of Public Employees are approaching about 200 workers this week in an attempt to gain their support.
So far, the AUPE appears to be making gains because it represented many of the employees in their previous positions at Red Deer Nursing Home and Valley Park Manor.
AUPE president Guy Smith said on Tuesday that the union has enough support at the new Extendicare seniors complex to approach the Alberta Labour Relations Board. “We have the requisite number of signatures,” said Smith, who isn’t sure how long the board will take before making a decision on ordering a membership vote.
But the Canadian Union of Public Employees is also making a membership pitch — which led to a heated exchange at a meeting earlier this week. Workers discovered that CUPE, which represents staff at seven other Extendicare facilities, already has an understanding with the employer to come up with a collective agreement at the Red Deer facility.
CUPE national representative Bruce McLeod said the employer is used to working with CUPE and approached the union.
He maintained this kind of understanding is allowed under the provincial labour code. McLeod added it’s too soon to decide which union will gain the majority of support among employees. “We’ll be having a lot of conversations over the next couple of days.”
While Smith questioned the validity of any union understanding that’s worked out with the employer instead of workers, McLeod suggested no union should automatically have the right of “successorship.”
“This is a brand-new employer at a brand-new facility.”
There are 230 employees at Michener Hill Village, but some of them are registered nurses. Only about 200 are eligible to decide between the two unions.
Despite protests about the pending closure of Red Deer Nursing Home and Valley Park Manor, the government still intends to begin moving senior residents on Sept. 1 into the new continuing care centre.

lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Labour School

Hi Folks
Just a reminder that Labour school is Feb 27-March 3 this year in
Kananaskis and all applications have to be me by Oct 15th,
thanks a bunch
sis bates