Local 87 – Parkland at the Lakes Information Session/Strike Vote Scheduled!

Dear member,

As you are aware, your bargaining committee was unable to reach an agreement with your employer. Your bargaining committee members have been at the bargaining table with your employer since late February, and while we have had some agreement on language improvements, on the sixth day of bargaining, the employer finally countered with their wage proposals as part of a “package deal,” which essentially meant, “take it or leave it.” Your bargaining committee felt there was nothing to be gained by this “package deal” for most of the membership. Frankly, the committee feels the employer’s wage offer was insulting to the members, many of whom have risked their own safety to ensure they care for their clients at Parkland at the Lakes, as our Province battles the third wave of COVID-19. (If you are a member of Local 87 and would like a copy of the wage proposals, please contact the Resource Centre at inquiry@nsgeu.ca.)

Your Bargaining Committee declared an impasse and applied for the help of conciliation services through the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Conciliation is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29^th.

What is Conciliation? Conciliation is a requirement under the Nova Scotia Trade Union Act that takes place when regular negotiations fail to reach an agreement. Either party may apply to the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education requesting the services of a Conciliation Officer. The Conciliation Officer does not have the power to impose a settlement on either party. Instead, their role is to mediate between the parties and help them reach an agreement.

Now, we need your help. In order to go into conciliation in the strongest possible position, we need to send a clear message to your employer that members are prepared to take action in order to achieve a fair contract. That means we need you to vote to authorize a strike.

This does not mean you will be going on strike. A rejection of the employer’s final offer would simply put your bargaining unit in legal strike position. Job action cannot occur until 14 days past the date the conciliator submits his report to the Province. The parties would still have an opportunity to find a settlement to avoid job action.

We know you’ve been here last time you were in bargaining but to help explain this process better, we will be holding a telephone town hall meeting on Tuesday, June 15^th at 7:30 p.m.

Participating in the Telephone Town Hall is easy. We will call you approximately 5 minutes before the call begins on the phone number you have provided to the NSGEU. At any time during the call, if you have a question or wish to make a comment, please dial *3. After speaking to an operator, you will be put in a queue where you will be able to ask your question or make a comment live.

You can dial into the Telephone Town Hall by calling: toll-free 1- 877-229-8493 and then dialing 114013#. Please keep this number handy in case anything happens during the call and connections are lost and there is a need to call back in. Also, please note that we do have a person in our office during this call and if you need any assistance you can call us at 902-424-4063.

We are asking all members to do their best to spread the word about the importance of a strong strike vote and to call the NSGEU if there are any questions.

A vote to accept or reject the employer’s final offer will be held next week on Thursday, June 17^th and Friday, June 18^th. The NSGEU will have a mobile voting station parked across the street from your workplace. We will send another email next week with further details of that vote.

Please participate in our telephone town hall meeting on Tuesday night, share information, talk to your co-workers and vote!

A rejection vote is the only way to conclude a fair collective agreement on your behalf.