Supplied by UNIFOR Local 1359…
The employees of ARCH Hospice who recently joined Unifor in January 9, 2018. July 18, 2018, we started bargaining with the employer and have had a number of days trying to get a fair and respectable collective agreement.
The negotiating committee has been working very hard for their members. “We are very proud of the committee as well as all the members at ARCH. They are a newly organized unit and Unifor appreciates the courage of this unit to stand up to their employer”, said Claire Grisdale, President of Unifor Local 1359.
May 1, 2019 the members voted 85% in favour of a strike action. This is a strong indication the employees want to see change and improvement in their workplace.
The ARCH lawyer has been argumentative with normative language that should be not be taking this long to negotiate, simple things like job postings, contracting out, and seniority. Is disappointing that the employer has been so negative when it comes to the simplest provisions that provides these workers with respect and dignity that is enjoyed by other heath care workers. Unifor will stand behind these workers to ensure they get a collective agreement that meets their needs.
We have more dates in June and have been working with a conciliator from the Ministry of Labour. We need to get back to the table and negotiate a fair and respectful agreement that the committee can recommend to the membership to avoid a strike action.
ORGANIZATION PROFILE
Unifor Local 1359 has over 1359 members and represents the City of Sault Ste. Marie Paramedics,
Cedarwood Lodge, Sault Area Hospital, Extendicare Van Daele and Maple View Long Term Care Homes,
Brinks Canada, USW Admin and Support Staff, Carillion Ellis Don, LLB Management Group Inc. (Retirement
Home), Lady Dunn Health Centre Wawa, Ontario Finnish Rest Home, St. Joseph’s General Hospital Elliot Lake-Service and Office and Technical/Oaks Centre, Elliot Lake and Hillside Park Retirement Residence Elliot Lake, ARCH, Eacom.
Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 300,000 members across the country, working in nearly every major sector of the economy. Founded Labour Day weekend in 2013 by the joining together of the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Unifor is dedicated to improving the lives of all working Canadians.