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1982
Hospital Strike
The Minister of Labour used the Labour Relations Act to intervene in the collective bargaining process and ordered a Disputes Inquiry Board under Mr. Eric Lefsrud to hold hearings into the outstanding bargaining items and to make recommendations for settlement. The parties were ordered to attend the hearings of this Board. Under the provisions of the Disputes Inquiry Board, legal strike action could not take place until 10 days after the Minister provided the recommendations of the Disputes Inquiry Board to the parties. Penalties for failure to comply included huge fines.
Disputes Inquiry Board
UNA complied with the Disputes Inquiry Board process, but ran into difficulty when the Minister of Labour ordered a government-supervised vote for UNA members to accept or reject the Board recommendations. The Minister ordered this government-supervised vote to take place on February 11. UNA had already ordered a UNA vote, compliant with the UNA Constitution, to be held February 12. UNA directed its members to boycott the government-supervised vote of February 11, and the government threatened to impose the results of the February 11th vote even if only one nurse voted. The government backed down temporarily and did not impose the results of the few voters in the February 11 vote. On February 12, UNA members rejected Mr. Lefsrud’s recommendations. The law was later changed so that a union’s refusal to
vote in a government-supervised vote was declared illegal, and the government was given the power to impose their vote results as a settlement of the dispute.
Nurses were again the first group of employees to have a Disputes Inquiry Board imposed upon them, and this process was not used again until the 1986 United Food and Commercial Workers' strike at Gainers.
In February, 1982, UNA made application before the government’s Labour Relations Board to have the right to hold another strike vote in those Locals which had voted not to strike in December, and now wanted the opportunity to reconsider the strike option. The LRB ruled against UNA, citing current labour legislation as prohibiting Locals from taking a second strike vote.
On February 16, 1982, UNA began a legal strike at sixty-nine (69) Alberta Hospitals affecting 6,000 nurses. UNA represented 8,300 hospital nurses at the bargaining table, but with the implementation of the LRB ruling that some Locals could not reconsider and vote to strike, only 6,000 were actually in a legal position to strike.
Bill 11
On March 9, 1982, the Minister of Labour requested unanimous consent in the Legislative Assembly for the swift passage of Bill 11, the precursor of Bill 44 which banned strikes in the hospital sector.
On March 10, 1982, Bill 11 was introduced and adopted. This legislation ordered nurses back to work on March 11. Failure to comply could result in large fines; decertification of the Union; and restriction from holding office in or working for a trade union in Alberta for two years. Bill 11 ordered both parties to a Tribunal which would award a binding settlement. The man appointed by the government to head the Tribunal was Mr. Justice Forsyth.
On March 11, 1982, nurses returned to work and UNA began the long process of Forsyth Tribunal hearings. The Tribunal heard 17 days of evidence from the AHA and UNA.
Health Unit Lockout
In May of 1982, 8 Health Unit Association of Alberta employers locked out more than 300 UNA health unit nurses. The lockout affected Leduc-Strathcona Health Unit, Vegreville Health Unit, Minburn-Vermilion Health Unit, the City of Lethbridge Health Unit, Wetoka Health Unit, Big Country Health Unit, Alberta East Central Health Unit and Sturgeon Health Unit. The Northeastern Health Unit employer did not lock out its nurses, although they were part of the same bargaining table between UNA and HUAA. Alberta West Central Health Unit and the Athabasca Health Unit were at separate bargaining tables and those employers did not lock out the nurses. The lockout lasted one month and when UNA suggested the use of a mediator the HUAA refused and presented a “final offer” which was refused by the locked out nurses. A
negotiated settlement was reached which included a 14% wage increase over one year; a provision for no dismissal without just cause; and a $250 signing bonus. Most nurses also received compensation for benefits lost during the lockout.
Forsyth Tribunal Award
In July of 1982, the Forsyth Tribunal brought down a final and binding hospital award which mandated a 29% wage increase over two years; improved scheduling; access to hospital Boards; a no-working-alone provision; and mandatory overtime.
Parklands Strike
In 1982, UNA members at the Parkland Nursing Home in Edmonton began a legal strike. The employer sold Parklands to Extendicare Health Services Inc. and UNA had successor rights. The certificate was varied by the Labour Relations Board and the members at this UNA Local now work at Extendicare North.
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