Yukon Hospital Bargaining Update #2

Bargaining Finally Resumes

At last, after an extended delay in getting back to the bargaining table, we can report on our last session of bargaining with the hospital.

In the interim, you will have received a copy of the proposals that were presented to the Employer and a FAQ on the bargaining process. As well, there have been several Union visits on site at the cafeteria.

Bargaining took place in Whitehorse the week of January 5th and a number of proposals were agreed to and signed off.

Health Authority

In addition to editorial amendments, there were initial discussions on both Union and Employer proposals. Of note, there was no new information regarding the implementation of the Health Authority. The Employer was unable to provide an update on the new government’s approach to the Health Authority as there is as of yet, no clear mandate.

Sick Leave

The Union team pushed for a reform of current sick leave provisions to address among other things, arbitrary and frequent medical certificate requests. Member experience has been that medical certificates are difficult to obtain after the fact, costly, and are paid out of pocket.

Related items discussed included Union proposals to improve the Injury on Duty article and make enhancements to the provisions for returning to work from extended sick or disability leave.

Part-time

Consistency by department and fairness in the application of the hours of work provisions for part-time employees are key improvements sought by the Union team on matters of scheduling and overtime.

Safety and Health

The current article has been completely rewritten to include legislative updates. There were also discussions regarding the Joint Health and Safety Committee, posting of minutes, as well as safety and health practices in view of the recent cold snap.

A number of other problems were addressed by the Union, including contracting out, and the uneven approach to discipline and staffing.

Despite repeated requests to meet sooner and present our monetary proposals to progress bargaining, the Hospital team has stalled the process. Hospital representatives indicated very clearly that while they were quite open to setting new dates, they were not interested in anything related to a financial mandate until such time as Yukon Government (YG) bargaining has concluded. Bargaining remains at a standstill because rather than submit an agreed to financial proposal to the government, the Hospital has chosen

to wait to receive their financial mandate from government. We are still looking for future dates and will keep you updated.

In Solidarity,

Your bargaining team

Darlene, Laura, Leah, Val, Erna and Ted.

Questions about bargaining? Drop us a line - [email protected]