Special Announcement on Scheduling
After a lengthy clash with the employer at the National Labour Management table regarding the promulgation of an amended scheduling bulletin in May 2023, which resulted in the union filing an unfair-labour practice complaint (190) in June of the same year, the employer has officially conceded its position.
For two years, local scheduling committees have attempted to propose schedule changes locally, in response to the change in FTE numbers following the elimination of segregated FTE funding. These attempts, however, have been met with the employer side rejecting schedules that contain 9-hour shifts. Inevitably, the upshot was a series of stalemates during our local scheduling committee meetings. The employer side of the committee was instructed, as stated in the revised bulletin of May 2023, that more substitute relief positions were required to approve a schedule. This meant that our members would work shorter shifts and be required to add shifts to the schedule, thereby seriously affecting their work-home life balance.
Our unfair-labour practice complaint, which was slated to be heard this month, will now be withdrawn, as the employer has rescinded the bulletin, allowing local scheduling committees to build schedules based on the 2020 bulletin, which clearly allows for 9-hour shifts.
While it is true that the employer continues to demand, on this round of bargaining, a reduction in the approved shift length from 12.75 hours to 12.25 hours, your Bargaining Committee will deal with this issue at the negotiation table.
Your National Executive would like to thank all members and specifically the members of local scheduling committees for their steadfast resolve during local scheduling meetings. If you encounter any roadblocks at your site during the process of creating new schedules, please report them immediately to your regional scheduling representative and your Regional President. NHQ assures us that there will be no misinterpretation during this exercise.
Once again, our solidarity has succeeded.
Your National Executive