Public Sector Ratification Vote 2022

Yes.

If accepted, the wage increase is as follows for the vast majority of members*:

8% from 2022 to 2025:

• 2022                2% + $2000 Recognition Bonus*
• 2023                2%
• 2024                2%
• 2025                2%

The salary will be retroactive to April 1, 2022 (for the vast majority of members).

*Recognition Bonus

Effective date of signing, each bargaining unit employee will receive a one-time recognition payment of $2,000 prorated based on regular full-time hours for the hours worked during the previous twelve (12) months

If accepted, the contract will be in place until 2026.

Yes.

The teams unanimously support this agreement and recommend that members vote to accept it.

Bargaining teams are made up of democratically elected rank and file (regular) NAPE members.

Your bargaining teams negotiated a strong collective agreement that includes a significant number of positive changes to your agreement – both monetarily and in terms of language.

Each agreement has universal changes – they apply to every contract regardless of their bargaining unit.

Additionally, some changes/improvements are specific and applicable to each bargaining unit.

While many people look at the salary piece alone, it is important that members look at all the changes to get a full understanding of what has been accomplished at the table for you – many of these changes will have a profoundly positive impact on members of our union and our workplaces as a whole.

Some core improvements include:

• Wage increase and recognition bonus
• Gender neutral language
• Sick note language improvements
• Maternity/adoption/parental leave provisions (52 to 78 weeks)
• Public health emergency language
• Public Private Partnership (P3) job security provisions
• Bereavement Leave language
• Protective clothing and uniform allowance changes
• Statutory holiday replacement
• Health insurance for temporary employee language
• Universal ‘no discrimination’ language
• Family violence leave
• Travel on employer’s business insurance coverage language
• Meal per diem increase (20%)
• Kilometre rate reimbursement adjustment changes
• Remote work/telework
• Recruitment and retention committee

You can view your agreement here:

www.nape.ca/public-sector-ratification-vote-2022

Active members (including seasonal workers, those on maternity/parental leave, Workers Comp, etc…) of the following NAPE bargaining units:

• Air Services
• CNA Faculty
• CNA Support Staff
• Correctional Officers
• General Service
• Group Homes
• Health Professionals
• Hospital Support Staff
• Laboratory X-ray
• Marine Institute – Faculty
• Marine Institute – Support
• Marine Services
• MUNL – Custodians
• MUNL – Campus Enforcement and Patrol
• MUNL – Maintenance
• MOS
• NLC
• School Boards
• Student Assistants
• Ushers
• WorkplaceNL

No.

There are no changes to the pension plans due to this agreement.

No.

Your teams were able to protect the current post-retirement benefits.

As a result of the JES (Job Evaluation Survey) – which began in 2001 and was completed a few years ago – some classification pay scales were adjusted downward. There is an appeal process by filling out a position description questionnaire (PDQ).

Instead of getting pay reductions, members’ in this scenario were protected at the current rate at the time, which is referred to as red circling. The process of red circling has been around for over 30 years. Once someone is red-circled, their pay scales stay the same until the increases catch them up to the salary they were earning at the time they were red-circled.

This process was led by the employer and was not part of the collective bargaining process at any point – it is entirely separate from the bargaining process.

As per the employer’s policy under JES, any future general economic increase (GEI) will be paid out in a pensionable bonus – it does not get added to base salary.

Your teams were successful in negotiating a JES Committee, within one hundred and twenty (120) days of contract signing, of equal representatives of NAPE and Government officials in an effort to explore opportunities to improve upon the JES.

The letter regarding public-private partnership (P3) job security has been maintained. This is especially important given the number of facilities (i.e. LTC, Mental Health Hospital, new Correctional Facility, etc…) that are currently being built under this model.

The attrition letter has been combined with the layoff letter.

The layoff letter was negotiated in 2018. It was a temporary measure to provide stability and protection during a period of uncertainty/concern in the public sector. It was renewed in 2020 due to the contract extension.

We are now in a situation where the greatest issue in many areas is recruitment and retention. There are hundreds and hundreds of vacancies across the public sector in a broad range of classifications, regions, and workplaces. The letter has not been extended.

Please call toll-free at 1-888-281-8683

If you require technical support with electronic voting, please contact the Voter HelpLine:

Phone: 1-888-281-8683

Members who have questions about the tentative agreement can call 1-833-414-1097 or 709-754-9062 to speak to a member of their bargaining team to get clarification, explanations, etc… Phone lines are open 9 am to 8 pm (island time) during the voting period.

There is a six (6) day window for members to review their tentative agreement, ask questions, talk to coworkers and/or family members, get explanations, etc. before they cast their vote.

No.

NAPE will never know how you voted – as with the paper process, NAPE only knows if you have cast a ballot or not.  The electronic and phone voting is secure and conducted by an independent third party who guarantees your ballot is secret.

The ratification vote process will be monitored by an independent third-party – Deloitte Canada (the same auditing firm that oversees our elections of President and Secretary-Treasurer).

Votes are counted by the bargaining unit.

Only votes (yes/no) cast are counted.

A simple majority (50% + 1 vote) is required to accept the tentative agreement.