Member update on health care bargaining

CUPE 8920 update: Supplementary award – shift and weekend premiums

Today, August 15, Mediator/Arbitrator William Kaplan awarded union members in the Health Care Bargaining Unit an increase in shift and weekend premiums. Health Care Bargaining Unit members were awarded a fifty cent per hour increase to their current hourly premium rate. These premiums are added compensation earned when employees are assigned to work on evenings, overnights or weekends. As a result of Liberal Bill 148, which legislated a wage pattern on civil servants and health care workers, shift and weekend premiums were one of the few monetary issues that could be negotiated during this round of bargaining. The increase will be implemented as follows: 15 cents         August 15, 2018 15 cents         August 1, 2019 20 cents         October 31, 2020 CUPE members’ shift and weekend premiums had been ten cents per hour behind the former CDHA and nursing rate, as CUPE had bargained first, and the other unions had received an … Read more…

News release: Collective agreement awarded for Nova Scotia Highway Workers

Today, the interest arbitration board chaired by arbitrator William Kaplan issued an award that establishes a collective agreement for approximately 1,000 members of CUPE Local 1867, highway workers employed by the Province of Nova Scotia. The process leading to this arbitration award began in November 2014 when CUPE and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) began negotiations to renew the province-wide collective agreement. “This round of bargaining was unique in that government legislation, Bill 148 – Public Services Sustainability Act, affected the union’s ability to negotiate freely in critical areas including the term of agreement and wage increases,” says Peter Baxter, CUPE national representative. The economic increases for the first four years were dictated by Bill 148, which include zero per cent in the first and second year. The first increase where retroactivity will apply is November 1, 2016. Effective November 1, 2014 0% Effective November 1, 2015 0% … Read more…

Bargaining Update: CUPE 1867 NS – Highway Workers Union

Following a mediation/arbitration held August 13, 2018, the interest arbitration board, chaired by arbitrator William Kaplan, issued an award today, Tuesday, August 14, which finally establishes a collective agreement for approximately 1,000 CUPE Local 1867 members, highway workers employed by the Province of Nova Scotia. The process leading to this arbitration award began in November 2014 when CUPE and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) began negotiations to renew the province-wide collective agreement in accordance with Nova Scotia’s Highway Workers Collective Bargaining Act. CUPE 1867’s bargaining committee and the employer held approximately 26 negotiating sessions between November 2014 and November 2015, at which time CUPE made an application for conciliation. Between January 2016 and October 2017, the union and the employer met with the assistance of a conciliation officer on eleven separate occasions and failed to conclude a collective agreement. On November 29, 2017, the union with the … Read more…