Local 97 – CDHA Nurses Bargaining Reaches Impasse-Union Applies for Conciliation

At negotiations on Wednesday, January 29th, an impasse was reached in bargaining.

After eight days at the bargaining table, your employer has refused to satisfactorily address the concerns of the membership of Local 97.

We have attached a copy of the employer’s Final Settlement Offer which contains claw backs of some of your existing benefits and does not address most of your proposals such as, but not limited to:

• Shift Schedules / Hours of Work
• Vacation Scheduling
• Nurse Patient Ratio
• Wages for Year 3 of the Collective Agreement
• Rest Interval After Call Back

The union has applied for the assistance of a Conciliation Officer.

What is Conciliation?
Conciliation is provided under the Nova Scotia Trade Union Act. It takes place when regular negotiations fail to bring about 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. We are committed to reaching a tentative agreement that your Bargaining Committee can recommend to you.

What can happen at Conciliation?
The union and employer will either reach a tentative agreement or, if they do not, the Conciliator will determine that an agreement will not be reached and will file a report with the Minister of Labour & Advanced Education. If a tentative agreement is reached, we will arrange information sessions where members can pose questions and vote on the tentative agreement. If an impasse is declared, we will arrange information sessions where members can vote on the Employers’ final offer.

What happens if an impasse is declared?
A 14-calendar-day countdown period begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the filing of the Conciliation Officer’s report. During the countdown period, the employer is not permitted to increase or decrease wage rates or any other term or condition of employment.
If the parties are unable to reach a settlement, the following conditions must be met before either party may engage in a legal work stoppage (i.e. strike, lockout):
i) 48-hours written notice of intention to strike by the union or lockout by the employer must be received by the Minister, and
ii) The 14-calendar-day countdown must have expired.

Prior to Conciliation we will be conducting a strike vote. We will soon mail out a package containing your ballot, as well as information on how you can cast your ballot. If you do not receive this mailout package, please contact the NSGEU as soon as possible by calling 424-4063 (toll-free 1-877-556-7438) or emailing inquiry@nsgeu.ca

URGENT MEETING

We have scheduled two urgent meetings as follows:

Date:   Tuesday, February 4th

Time:  2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

           7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Location: NSGEU office

255 John Savage Avenue (Burnside)

President Joan Jessome, Chief Negotiator Linda Power and your bargaining committee will be on-hand to discuss bargaining efforts, next steps, and to answer your questions. We will also hear more about nurse-to-patient ratios from Judith Kiejda, the Assistant General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association. The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association successfully fought for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios for their members in 2010, and Judith has travelled from Australia to meet with you, share their experiences and help lead us to success! You will also have an opportunity to vote at this meeting. Please make every effort to attend one of these meetings to show your support for your bargaining committee.   

Bargaining Committee

Susan Dobbin              susandobbin72@gmail.com

Karen Ferguson           karenlocal97@live.ca

Janice Nicholson          janicenicholson575@gmail.com

Rebecca Norris            rebeccanorris1@hotmail.com

Karin Harrison              karinharrisonlocal97@live.com

Linda Power, Chief Negotiator

lhpower@eastlink.ca

Tony Bremner, ERO

tbremner@nsgeu.ca

424-4063

1-877-556-7438