Date: July 25, 2025
Sisters, Brothers, Friends,
SEIU-West met with SAHO July 21-25 to resume our bargaining odyssey.
We continue to propose language that reflects the issues you have identified to the bargaining committee as your bargaining priorities.
The general atmosphere has been more collegial during the course of this round, facilitating improved communication and progress of bargaining.
We discussed, proposed and counter proposed language and terms regarding Technological Change, Grievance Procedure and Extended Shift Agreements throughout the week.
SAHO and the Employers want us to abandon your issues and proposals because they haven’t any interest in contract provisions that would mean they cannot unilaterally impose their new work rules. For example, SAHO and the employers want to unilaterally assign any additional work (no more call-in), completely re-arrange the seniority lists and your current position on it, open up job postings to a province-wide selection process, and to be able to re-deploy you to wherever and whenever the Employer decides.
Our proposals would address the Employer’s issues in ways that preserve – not eliminate - the rights, privileges and opportunities you currently enjoy.
We were able to make some progress with agreement to advance some outstanding issues relating to union leave, pressing necessity and union representation to the common table, inching us all a little closer to the finish line.
SAHO’s insistence to move to a common table is fueled by their insistence individual union issues must be resolved (read withdrawn) before common table negotiations can commence. We have proposed that outstanding individual issues would move to a side table to be negotiated along with the common issues as we have done in the past.
We still have challenges coming to agreement on articles that reference a change to our call in language as you, the members have made it abundantly clear that you are not willing to change our current language.
SAHO’s offer of the first year mandate of 3% as an incentive to drop your strongly held demands was rejected.
We continue to gather information from you with respect to Essential Services in preparation for the negotiation of an Essential Services agreement. We are continuing to meet with the SHA and affiliates for preliminary discussions on the provision of essential services.
We maintain dates in August to continue bargaining with the hope that we can continue to make meaningful progress at that time.
If you have Collective Agreement questions or issues, contact the Member Resource Center at 1-888-999-7348 ext. 1, email [email protected], or complete the Contact Us form on our website, www.seiuwest.ca.
In Solidarity on behalf of the SEIU-West Bargaining Committee
Lisa Zunti
President
SEIU-West
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Your SEIU-West SAHO Provincial Bargaining Committee:
CHR: Janice Platzke (SEIU-West Treasurer) • FHHR: Brenda Berry, Barbara Bubyn • HHR: Colleen Denniss • SHR: Rhonda Bzdel, Chris Clark, Jeanne Javinal, Carla Saworski, Charlene Sarafin • Extendicare: Kevin Martin • Staff: Bob Laurie (Dir. of Bargaining and Contract Enforcement), Russell Doell (Deputy Dir. of Bargaining and Contract Enforcement • President: Lisa Zunti