September 27, 2017
Dear Health Care Member:
Your CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU bargaining committees resumed bargaining with SAHO September 14 to September 23 in Saskatoon.
In the most recent bargaining session, limited progress was made.
SAHO’s response to the revised comprehensive proposal put forward by CUPE, SEIU-West and SGEU on Sept. 7, 2017 maintained a significant number of the concessions and rollbacks from their initial proposal package. The provider unions remained strong in their message to SAHO – remove the concessions and rollbacks from their mandate! All of the provider unions have heard from their membership, in the strongest terms, that they did not want wages and benefits that were hard won in previous rounds of bargaining to be stripped away. The provider unions believe SAHO and the Employers heard our message and SAHO will convey it to their “principals” – the government. SAHO put forward a package that amounts to a total reduction in compensation of 3.65% – down only slightly from the 3.8% reduction in total compensation that SAHO was demanding in its previous package.
The Provider Unions and SAHO exchanged revised proposals regarding joint trusteeship of all benefit plans and a Letter of Understanding regarding a moratorium on changes to the bargaining unit structure and representation rights of health services provider unions. There was also further discussion about how the three provider unions would form a bargaining association that would move towards negotiating one collective agreement for all health services providers.
SAHO indicated that the launch of the SHA is now December 4th 2017 which would coincide with the proclamation of the new Provincial Health Authority Act. This launch date and related information was communicated to your union bargaining committees only shortly before this information was made public.
CUPE, SEIU-West, and SGEU will resume bargaining with SAHO on October 16, 17, 18 in Moose Jaw.
Thank you to all health service providers and workers for your ongoing support in these times. Call your MLA’s, be active with in your respective unions, and stay strong. Remember we are in this together and we can will win against these concessions. Please make another call to your MLA or send another email and schedule a follow up meeting with your MLA — and bring your co-workers!
In solidarity,
CUPE, SGEU, and SEIU-West bargaining committees
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