I wanted to provide you an update on our Health bargaining as I know there has been a lot of inquiries from the membership regarding the status of bargaining.
First and foremost, your Health bargaining team has been working diligently to keep negotiations moving forward. As noted in my previous correspondence, I informed the Employer and senior government officials (Deputy, CEO and Minister) that UPSE would not settle for less than what the other bargaining units received and that we would expect more given the diversity of our members and other confounding variables, such as private LTC’s in receipt of higher wages than the public sector.
UPSE was informed that a conciliator was assigned on September 2, 2024. From this date, UPSE has attempted to arrange dates for bargaining with the Employer. The Employer finally confirmed this morning conciliation dates for November 21 & 22, 2024.
I want to acknowledge this has been the most frustrating bargaining experience for me in my time working for UPSE. And we have heard from you and your level of frustration with the bargaining process and with the delays. We will continue to advocate and work at getting the best deal we can through the bargaining process for you, our members and will commit to keeping you updated on the bargaining process.
I sincerely want to thank you for your ongoing patience and the dedication from your Health bargaining team.
In Solidarity,
Karen Jackson,
UPSE President