IHAC: Improved Working Conditions
Important dates for Zoom Information Meetings and Ratification Vote Dates are below.
On July 19, 2021, 135 employers voted 97% in favour of joining UFCW Local 401. These are an inspiring group of workers who provide vital service to our society while working through some challenging working conditions. The 135 members work as Community Support Workers (CSW), Behavioural Support Workers (BSW), Healthcare Aids (HCA), and Supports House Supervisors (SHS).
Your Union Negotiating Committee has met with I Have A Chance Support Services Ltd. (IHAC) for four weeks. Late Monday afternoon, November 8, the company tabled what they called their last best and final offer.
The Union Negotiating Committee pushed the company hard to improve its offer of settlement. Your committee told them to go back and get a mandate that better reflects the industry standards. Alternatively, they suggest that the employer open up their books and prove they could not afford to compensate the workers at IHAC better.
IHAC declined to open their books but did come back with an improved offer of settlement.
“It is not everything we wanted, but there are some genuine improvements in the offer,” said Christopher O’Halloran, Executive Director UFCW Local 401. “This contract will give the workers at IHAC a clear and fair set of workplace rights, with improvement to wages and benefits.”
The Negotiating Committee has agreed to stay neutral on the company’s offer and let the membership decide:
- if the offer is satisfactory; or
- would like to pressure with strike action to put pressure on the company.
You can find the link to the company offer of settlement HERE.
“I know wages and benefits we a large part of the company’s final offer. But we cannot forget the improvement to scheduling that deals with working short,” continued O’Halloran. “The contract will also address the discrepancies and inequities that members have seen in their treatment and compensation.”
We will text message every member over the next few days to communicate how the company’s offer will directly impact their wages.
Watch your text messages. You can also email Jason Parrell at jason.parrell@ufcw.ca to find out what your new wage will be.
To get as much information to members as we can. This weekend we have scheduled Zoom meetings to present the company’s offer and answer any members’ questions.
- Saturday, November 13, 2021, at 10 am
- Saturday, November 13, 2021, at 7 pm
- Sunday, November 14, 2021, at 2 pm
The Vote
Members will have two options on how they can vote on the company’s offer.
1. Members will be allowed to vote in person at the Best Western at 3101 43rd Avenue, Stoney Plain, Monday, November 15, from:
- 8:00am to 11:00am
- 3:00pm to 5:00pm
- 8:00pm to 11:00pm
2. Or vote online with Converso.
Converso, a third party that your union has contracted, will coordinate online voting. Converso is a trusted company facilitating online voting for various organizations in a variety of electoral processes.
Your union will provide Converso with a voters list. They will reach out to you with thorough instructions on voting online if that is how you wish to participate in the voting process.
Each member will be provided with a unique elector ID and password that the member must use together to cast a vote online and can only be used once. This information, plus instructions on accessing and navigating the online voting platform, will be delivered to you via email.
Converso recommends that, where possible, you avoid using a Hotmail email address for this process, as Hotmail sometimes automatically blocks the emails you need to receive.
Members can only use the online voting platform once, as it uses a tracking system to ensure voting credentials. Your union will be cross-referencing in-person voting lists and online voting lists. We will ensure that each member has the opportunity to vote, and the integrity of the voting process is maintained.
If you have any questions about voting online or run into any other issues, you can email support@converso.co for assistance.
In Solidarity,
Your UFCW Local 401 Negotiations Committee
Posted on: November 10,2021