Bargaining Preparation Underway for Council of Nursing Unions

Local  101 – NSHA Nursing Central

Bargaining Update: Bargaining Preparation Underway for Council of Nursing Unions 

On June 14 and 15 the Nova Scotia Council of Nursing met to discuss bargaining priorities and examine the language from the four unions (NSGEU, CUPE, Unifor and NSNU) collective agreements in acute care.The 20-member Council reviewed contract language for all nurses, in all categories, in all unions. This will ensure that nurse bargaining includes language and provisions that exists in the current collective agreements. This strategy, which was also utilized by the Health Care Bargaining Unit, will try to protect and expand key rights and benefits that nurses from all unions have earned over previous rounds of bargaining.

This was only a first step and the Nursing Council will meet again on July 3 – 4 and August 22 – 23 before exchanging proposals with the NSHA and IWK on September 5.

The Council of Unions and both Employers have agreed to bargain a nursing collective agreement after Health Care, Administrative Professionals, and Support Services have concluded their agreements. This means that the majority of the agreements language will already be established and therefor allow nursing-related issues to be the primary focus for the nursing bargaining and mediation – arbitration.

As you are aware health care workers in acute care voted to accept an agreement with the NSHA and IWK that would allow any issues that can not be resolved at the negotiating table to be sent to the independent, third-party mediator-arbitrator (William Kaplan) for a final and binding award. Mr. Kaplan has set aside November 19-23 for Nursing Bargaining Unit mediation – arbitration. The Employer and the Council of Unions accepted these dates.

The agreement provides wage increases over a six-year term (2014-2020), including retroactive pay, protects key benefits and provides a mediation arbitration process that will conclude all collective agreements for the four bargaining units in Nursing, Health Care, Support Services, and Administrative Professionals by the end of 2018.

The Council of Nursing Unions, that includes representation from the NSGEU, is working hard to ensure that your best interests are represented. The Council thanks you for your continued support and we commit to keeping you informed as this process unfolds.

The Council of Nursing Unions bargaining committee is comprised of 11 members from NSNU, seven NSGEU, one from CUPE and one from Unifor.

The following is a list of members and staff of the Nursing Council:

Members:

Janet Hazelton, NSNU

Janis Ritcey, NSNU

Laura Lee Sharpe, NSNU

Vivian Starkey, NSNU

Alaine Halliday, NSNU

Gerri Oakley, NSNU

Karen MacDonald, NSNU

Chris VanZoost, NSNU

Edson Castilho, NSNU

Geoff Bennett, NSNU

Jen Thiele, NSNU

Shawna Boudreau, NSGEU

Rochelle Ryan, NSGEU

Trish MacLean, NSGEU

Kerri McIsaac, NSGEU

Denise Meade Jones, NSGEU

Joanne Fairfax, NSGEU

Trina Mauger, NSGEU

Jim Laverie, CUPE

Shauna Wilcox, Unifor

Staff:

Chris Albrecht, NSNU

Shawn Fuller, NSGEU

Carl Crouse, CUPE

Susan Gill, Unifor