Health Administrative Professionals Bargaining Unit Bargaining Update: Timeline of Next Steps

As we advised in our last update on April 19th, we have begun mapping out the next steps in the process to achieve a satisfactory collective agreement on your behalf.

Our primary concern is improving member engagement in the bargaining process, as almost half of the Health Administrative Professionals Council Bargaining Unit did not participate in the ratification vote. It is important to note that ratification votes and strike votes are calculated in different ways: ratification votes are based on the number of ballots cast, whereas strike votes are calculated based on the total number of members in the bargaining unit. So, it is imperative that we engage all members in the next steps.

In order to ensure we have members’ up-to-date contact information, elected local members will be coming off the job to assist with phone banking between May 1st and 12th.

Following that, from May 15th to June 2nd, 1st Vice President Hugh Gillis and members of the bargaining committee will be visiting work sites throughout the province in the NSGEU van to distribute materials to Administrative Professionals, answer questions, and allow members to update their information and sign union cards on site.

Strike vote meetings will be held between May 29th and June 2nd (details to be announced at a later date). Then, an electronic strike vote will be conducted during the week of June 5th42. Specific dates to follow.

At the same time, we are in the midst of essential service staffing negotiations with the employer. Those must be concluded before a legal strike can take place.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Please ensure we have your current, complete contact information on file, and that you are a signed member (that will matter if we have another tentative agreement to ratify in the future).
• Talk to your coworkers: make sure they are receiving emails, and if they aren’t, encourage them to contact the union and get involved!
• When the van comes to your work site, pop by and pick up materials to review and share with your colleagues.
• Participate in the strike vote meetings: ask questions and make comments!
• The union and your elected bargaining committee is here to help you navigate this process, but ultimately, it is you – the members – who will decide what your next collective agreement will look like! We need to work together to make sure you have the best possible result from this process.

Finally, today is Administrative Professionals Day. We realize that many of you do not feel very valued and appreciated in your workplaces at the moment, but we hope to change that. In acknowledgement of the vital role you play in our health care system, the Council has placed an advertisement in The Chronicle Herald.

Thank you for the important work you do, and for the engagement and support you have demonstrated throughout this round of bargaining. Together, we can accomplish great things.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about the bargaining process or next steps, please contact a member of your bargaining committee or the NSGEU by calling 902-424-4063 (toll-free 1-877-556-7438) or emailing inquiry@nsgeu.ca.

Bargaining Committee:

Local 104 Kim Sheppard – the_piergirl@hotmail.com

Local 190 Lynette Hayward-Byrd – lynettebyrd@gmail.com

Local 423 Pamela Grace – pgrace38@gmail.com

Local 1246 Mark Smith – squidboy1@hotmail.com

Local 1246 Heather Tucker – HeatherM.Tucker@nshealth.ca

Local 1246 Bill Zebedee – zebedeensgeu@gmail.com

Local 1246 Dawn Daborn – dmsmith888@live.com

NSGEU Deputy Chief Negotiator – Tammy Young tyoung@nsgeu.ca