EAST HANTS: CUPE members with health authorities across the province are back to work, and with a new contract to boot. While these CUPE members are happy with the contract, some in the Chignecto-Central School Board feel they got a raw deal.

The 480 members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) for the Colchester-East Hants Health Authority went back to work after a two hour strike, Jan. 18. By Jan, 29, CUPE workers for health authorities across the province ratified the new negotiated contract provincially at an overwhelming 98 per cent. CUPE workers for school boards avoided a strike and reached a settlement, days before the Jan. 18 strike date. Several school board employees outside Chignecto-Central School Boards are showing their satisfaction with the new contract, voting in favour in the mid 90 per cent range. But members in CCRSB only voted 88 per cent in favour for ratifying their new contract.

“They’re not as happy with the contract, but we don’t want to stand on the (strike) line for another month. We’ll have to live with it for the next two years and see what we can do March 31, 2011,” said Ron Davis, CUPE representative for CCRSB.

Davis said one of the disappointing issues is that the contract didn’t include the ‘me too’ clause, that health authorities achieved. This means if any union across the province breaks the trend of a one per cent raise for the next two years, the school board wouldn’t be able to follow suit.

“If some union breaks that trend and gets say a two per cent raise, we’re dead in the water, we’re stuck with two (one percent raises) for the next two years no matter what happens,” said Davis.

Also, the contract allows for the school board to contract work out, instead of replacing a skilled trade’s worker who has retired, as long as there are no lay-offs.

“What happens is, as people retire, they just contract work out instead of keeping the work within the union, instead of hiring a new tradesman they could just contract out certain things that they did,” said Davis.

Health authorities across the province achieved the 2.9 per cent retroactive raise from April 1, 2009 and one per cent raises for the next two years. They are happier with the outcome feeling they fought the good fight to maintain wage parity, or the same wages as their counterparts in the city.

“We had very good meetings across the province and the mood was fairly positive. I think the members feel like they stood up and achieved wage parity by pressing the issue, which from a mobilization point of view it was a wonderful exercise,” said Wayne Thomas, CUPE representative and acute care coordinator.

Not all contract issues were put on par with those of Capital Health, but the majority of CUPE members are happy with what ended up. But like Davis, Thomas says that health authorities will continue to keep these issues in mind, and bring them up again when it’s time to negotiate a new contract.

“We would have liked to have seen some of the benefit issues leveled with Halifax as well, but we’ll come back after that in 2011 (to negotiate), but the wage piece was the most important thing,” said Thomas.

acano@enfieldweeklypress.com