VOTE DEADLINE EXTENDED
Due to delays with letter mail to some areas of the province as a result of the recent state of emergency, your union has decided to extend the voting period to Tuesday, February 4 at noon (NST). We are of the understanding that the mail is being delivered over the weekend to catch up.
If you have not yet received your voting package, please call the technical support line at: 1-888-281-8683
Statement to Members Regarding Comments Made About NAPE Public Sector Tentative Agreements
In the past 24 hours, there have been confusing, misleading and, at times, outright false statements made about our public sector tentative agreements by the representatives of an outside organization.
These statements have been made while our voting process is ongoing.
While we have no desire to engage in a public dispute about this issue, we wanted to reach out to our members today to defend the agreements we have put forward for a vote and to clarify any confusion that has been created by the unfortunate and unwarranted interventions of others in our democratic process.
Your union and your bargaining teams stand behind the agreements that are currently being voted on.
The information provided on the voter info page (the explanatory video, FAQ, etc…) including the actual full language of the tentative agreements is 100% accurate.
To be crystal clear – your Union HAS NOT negotiated ANY changes to your pension.
The federal government has made changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) that are entirely separate from our bargaining process. Simply put, the federal government has made changes to the CPP that could mean savings to the provincial government and the pension plan. Instead of treating these savings as general revenue, they will be passed along to members as part of the salary increase.
Given the current fiscal and labour relations environment in our province and across the country, your teams, consisting of over 100 NAPE members, are recommending acceptance of this agreement. They do not do this lightly – these are members just like you who have been entrusted with representing you at the bargaining table.
This is a good deal. It is a deal that protects the language and provisions of your current agreement (no layoff, sick leave, public-private partnerships, contracting out, etc…) while including a salary increase over an 18 month period. Keep in mind the last round of bargaining took almost two years alone.
I hope that this helps to clarify any confusion or concern that has been created and that all is well with you and yours.
In solidarity,
Jerry Earle
President
Explanatory Video
NOTE: The video was recorded before the voting period extension, the visuals have been updated to reflect this but the audio still has the old dates and times.
VIDEO SCRIPT – CLICK HERE
Toll-Free Voter Help Lines
If you require technical support with voting or if you didn’t get a voter package: 1-888-281-8683 or email voterinfo@intelivote.com
If you have questions about the agreements, please contact NAPE: 1-844-919-1977
Voting Period
January 27 at 9am to February 4 at noon (NST)
Frequently Asked Questions
CLICK HERE
(NOTE: the text of the FAQ document is posted below as well if that is easier for you)
Tentative Agreements
FAQ Text
FAQ – NAPE Public Sector Tentative Agreement Ratification Vote
A. Is there a wage increase?
Yes.
If accepted, the wage increase is as follows for the vast majority of members*:
4% over 18 months –
- April 1, 2020 – 2%
- April 1, 2021 – 1%
- October 1, 2021 – 1%
*There are some differences between implementation dates in some agreements. Please check your agreement for specific details for your bargaining unit.
B. How long is the contract for?
If accepted, the extension will be two years after the expiration of your current agreement.
C. Is my bargaining team recommending acceptance of this agreement?
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.
D. Where can I view the actual tentative agreements?
You can view the agreements here: www.nape.ca/public-sector-ratification-vote-2020
E. Who is eligible to vote?
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 Services,
Maintenance and Operational Services (MOS),
Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC),
School Boards,
Student Assistants,
Ushers,
WorkplaceNL
E. Why an extension?
Over the course of several weeks late in the fall of 2019, discussions regarding collective bargaining began to gain momentum. It became clear that both sides wanted stability – for the province, for public services, and our members. After marathon sessions in November, your union was able to reach an agreement with the government on a contract extension. This was not an easy task.
A contract extension means that instead of going through the process of a potentially long and drawn out bargaining process, both sides would agree to extend the provisions of the existing agreement for a period of time.
This means that the provisions and protections of the agreement stay in place: no-layoff, sick leave, family leave, contracting out, public-private partnerships, to name a few, remain in place for the next two years (at a minimum).
In any round of bargaining, you have the opportunity to make gains as a worker and as a union, but the employer also has the same opportunity to put items on the table. This is not to say that we would accept any of the employer’s proposals, but in this scenario, all of the provisions you currently enjoy are protected for at least the next two years.
F. Do we keep the “no-layoff clause”?
Yes.
An extension means that the provisions and protections of the current agreement stay in place: no-layoff, sick leave, family leave, contracting out, public-private partnerships (P3) provisions, to name a few. remain in place for the next two years (at a minimum).
G. Is there any change to my pension?
No. There is no change in your pension as a result of this agreement.
H. What if I am red circled?
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.
The JES was not something that we could have addressed in collective bargaining as it is separate from that process.
I. Are there changes to my post-retirement group insurance benefits?
Part of the tentative agreement includes changes to Other Post Retirement Benefits also called OPEBs for short. OPEBs, in this case, refers to post-retirement group insurance coverage.All current employees as of March 31, 2020, will be eligible for 50/50 (employee/employer) premium sharing if they qualify for post-employment benefit coverage.
All employees hired after March 31, 2020, will share 60% (employee) and 40% (employer) if they qualify for post-employment benefit coverage.
This means that the first possible changes on this front for new hires will be 15 years from now and will likely be 30 plus years for the vast majority. In the interim, we will hopefully have set up a joint trusteeship to help deal with OPEB issues going forward.
J. So, what is changing for OPEBS in terms of employee / employer contributions for new hires?
As you may recall, there were some changes in the last agreement on this front. If members accept the tentative agreement in this ratification vote, those changes would be reversed, which is a benefit to all current members of our union covered under these agreements.
Currently, the OPEB language is:
Employees who become entitled to OPEB shall pay premiums of the plan based on the number of completed years’ of pensionable service as follows:
Completed Years of Pensionable Service (Employee Share – Employer Share)
5-19 years (85%- 15%)
20-24 years (70%-30%)
25-29 years (55%-45%)
30+ years (50%-50%)
If accepted, OPEB split for new hires after March 31, 2020, will be 60% (employee) and 40% (employer) once they qualify for post-employment benefit coverage.
K. In the simplest terms, what am I voting on?
These are the changes that you are voting on (see the explanatory video and official agreements for a full explanation and exact wording):
- A salary increase of 4% over 18 months;
- an extension of the current agreements until March 31 of 2022;
- changes to OPEBs primarily for future members;
- a study to assess the feasibility of a joint trusteeship for group insurance;
- passing savings of CPP changes on to members as part of the salary increase.
L. I didn’t get a voting package in the mail or by email. What do I do?
Please call toll free at 1-888-281-8683 or email voterinfo@intelivote.com
M. I’m having issues logging in to vote or I can’t get my PIN to work.
If you require technical support with electronic voting, please contact the Voter HelpLine:
Phone: 1-888-281-8683
N. Will NAPE know how I voted?
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, 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).
O. Are there any changes to sick leave, family leave, bereavement leave, any of the letters in the agreements, or anything along those lines as a result of this agreement?
No.
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DISCLAIMER: If there are any discrepancies between this FAQ document and the official tentative agreement, the latter shall prevail.
