Health Support Bargaining Unit Information Sessions and Ratification Vote Scheduled

In the early hours of Tuesday, August 16th, the Health Support Bargaining Unit (NSGEU, Unifor and CUPE) reached a tentative agreement with the Employer.

While the negotiations were difficult, the committee members from all three unions (NSGEU, CUPE, & Unifor) believe this is a fair deal for members and are recommending that you vote to ratify/accept the tentative agreement.

The parties met for nine days, which was particularly challenging with each wave of COVID-19 and subsequent gathering restrictions. After being unable to reach a deal in May 2022, the parties agreed to the appointment of a Conciliation Officer. The bargaining committee and employers met for three days of conciliation – July 19th, July 28th and August 15th – and with the assistance of a Conciliation Officer finally reached a deal.

The package includes what the committee feels is a suitable wage and language improvement. You will receive details of the package prior to the information sessions and ratification vote.

Information Sessions:

We are holding a telephone town hall meeting on Monday, August 22nd from 6 to 8 p.m. Members of your bargaining committee will be on the call to go through the tentative agreement details with you and answer any questions or concerns you may have. The meeting will be hosted by NSGEU President Sandra Mullen and NSGEU staff negotiators.

Participating in the Telephone Town Hall is easy. We will call you approximately five 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. Please call the NSGEU if you think your contact information is out of date so we can reach you.

We are also holding in-person information sessions at the NSGEU office on Wednesday, August 31st from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. hourly. Note: you can also drop your ballot off in person during these sessions.

Ratification Vote Details:

Voting to ratify the tentative agreement will begin Monday, August 22nd by mail-in ballot.

If you do not receive an envelope from the NSGEU with a mail-in ballot and postage-paid envelope by August 30th, please contact us to ensure we have accurate contact information for you.

The vote will close on Tuesday, September 6th at 5 p.m.

Please note: on Wednesday, August 31st , you can pick-up or drop-off a ballot in-person to the NSGEU office (in Dartmouth, Burnside Industrial Park, at 255 John Savage Ave.) between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the information sessions.

Your committee thanks you for your solidarity and support throughout this bargaining process.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a member of your bargaining committee here:

Gina Boyd, Chief Negotiator, gboyd@nsgeu.ca

Joseph Boudreau, jboudreau84@yahoo.com

Christian Collins, cbj@eastlink.ca

Robert Forbes, rjfsmalljobspecialist@msn.com

Raymond Theriault, codeman@ns.sympatico.ca

Gary Slaunwhite, garywslaunwhite@hotmail.com

Matt Walsh (Alternate), mattwalsh11@gmail.com