PrintUNA Demand-Setting Meeting prepares the way for 2017 bargaining
Delegates worked hard for 3 days to prepare proposals
Close to 500 voting delegates to the 2016 Demand-Setting Meeting worked hard for three days this week on the nitty-gritty job of preparing proposals for United Nurses of Alberta’s upcoming round of Provincial Collective Agreement negotiations.
The meeting, which ran from Nov. 22 until Nov. 24 at the EXPO Centre in Edmonton, was attended by close to 800 people in all, including delegates, observers, union staff and technical staff. UNA Demand-Setting Meetings are always held in the months before the next round of bargaining the union’s largest collective agreement and are the important first step of the 2017 negotiations.
UNA President Heather Smith, who chaired the meeting’s lengthy sessions, describes the process as “all business.” Smith said yesterday UNA’s goal is always to reach an agreement with the four employers that are parties to the Provincial Collective Agreement that can serve as the template for all upcoming UNA collective agreements.
Delegates at the meeting examine in detail UNA’s bargaining proposals and have the opportunity to vote on proposals to reflect the will of the membership. Delegates emerged from the meeting yesterday with a complete bargaining package to put to eligible members of the union’s general membership for ratification.
Once the package is ratified by members, province-wide bargaining with Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care and the Bethany Group (Camrose) is expected to begin in February 2017. The vote is scheduled for January 30.
When bargaining is complete and a collective agreement has been reached, all eligible UNA members will have the opportunity to participate in a ratification vote on the new contract. Only when the new provincial agreement has been ratified will UNA’s leadership sign the agreement.
The last Demand-Setting Meeting was held in Edmonton in 2012.
UNA represents more than 30,000 Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and allied health care workers throughout Alberta, including all non-management RNs and RPNs employed by Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health.
