Optima Living: Fighting For a Better Deal
We continue to seek a better deal for our members at the bargaining table. Our proposals to the Company reflect an unwavering commitment to reaching a deal that recognizes our members’ needs during Alberta’s ongoing affordability crisis.
We have proposed:
- A 10% wage increase in each year of the new Collective Agreement
- The company to set up a health spending account of $2,500 per calendar year for every employee, starting in January 2025
- An infectious outbreak premium that would mean an additional $2 per hour for each hour employees are asked to work in hazardous conditions (as recently experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic)
- $300 in vision care coverage (including an eye exam) every 24 months
- A $200 shoe allowance in each calendar year for every employee who has completed their probationary period
- An annual uniform allowance for any employee who’s required to wear a uniform
- Lunch meal coverage for all employees
These are proposals that your bargaining committee has identified as necessities to enable you to make ends meet and carry out your important work in these difficult times. We’ll see in the near future whether the Company shares this perspective.
“The situation is simple: our members need a raise, they deserve a raise, and employers can afford to give them a raise,” says President Thomas Hesse of UFCW Local 401. “As our members continue to face the crunch of the affordability crisis, we will continue to conduct the most aggressive bargaining in our Local’s history to ensure that they get the compensation they deserve.”
“The bargaining committee at Optima Living is taking a strong stand for the membership,” added Secretary-Treasurer Richelle Stewart: “Just as we’re doing at workplaces across the province. If there is still more that we can do, we urge you to reach out to your Union rep and let them know.”
A CALL FOR SOLIDARITY
As we’re fighting for a better deal for our Optima Living members, healthcare workers in Strathmore are facing their own battle against a Company that simply doesn’t seem to want to come to the bargaining table. We’ve launched a publicity campaign on behalf of these members at Bayshore Home Health.
We need to stand in solidarity with our members in fights like this all across the province, as we may well need them to stand in solidarity with us as bargaining unfolds.
Click here to see our message: Stand Together with Bayshore Home Health Workers!
Many thanks to any members who are able to show their solidarity! And as further news becomes available during your bargaining process, we will continue to keep you in the loop. If you have questions, please reach out to Kyle Sandau at ksandau@ufcw401.ab.ca or by phone at (403) 328-4245.
In solidarity,
Your Union
UFCW Local 401
Posted on: November 20,2024