Residential Counsellors and Program Instructors at the Queen’s Association for Supported Living (QASL), represented by CUPE Local 4963, have been in contract negotiations for over 18 months.
As the last of 21 CUPE locals in community services across the province to reach a deal, frustration is growing among members as they continue to press for better terms from their employer.
Key issues in the dispute include demands for paid training and concerns over proposed caps on their time banks. The union is seeking to ensure that the cost of additional training or education, required as part of the Remedy’s implementation, are covered by the employer.
Similair agreements were reached by the 20 other CUPE locals within the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, as well as the provincial bargaining framework itself.
According to union representative Kaelee Baker, a recent attempt to settle the Essential Services Agreement (ESA) with the employer ended without resolution. As a result, CUPE Local 4963 plans to file an application to the Labour Board to address the provisions of the ESA.
The time bank issue is another sticking point in negotiations.Unlike many other sectors, these employees do not receive traditional holidays, instead accruing time off that they can use later. The union argues that capping these time banks would make it more difficult for employees to secure approved leave, as it would remove a key pressure point on the employer to grant these requests.
“Our time banks make sure the employer actually grants us the paid time off we’re entitled to,”Baker said. “When each worker’s time bank grows, it puts pressure on the employer to grant us vacation and other time off requests. A cap on banked time would remove that pressure—meaning it’ll be harder for us to get our time off. It is not our fault that this is the only way we can get our time off requests. It shouldn’t fall to workers to resolve a problem QASL has created for all of us.”
Despite an 87 percent vote in favor of a strike mandate, CUPE Local 4963 members remain without an agreement.
Once the Labour Board receives the application, both CUPE and the Queen’s Association for Supported Living will submit the areas of agreement and dispute. The board will then have up to 30 days to make a decision on the ESA terms.
Following that decision, a 14-day countdown will begin, with both parties expected to reconvene on day 13 to continue negotiating the collective agreement.
With the situation still unresolved, the union remains committed to holding out until their terms are met.
