President's Report from the 6/7/2022 General Membership Meeting

Good evening,

This will be our last General Membership Meeting until this coming October. I hope all who have summer vacations scheduled enjoy their time away from work. I anticipate the next few months to be a very hectic and busy time for the Union, its Members and Staff. Currently, we are either at the bargaining table or preparing to exchange proposals with four of our bargaining units.

Both City of Edmonton and Edmonton Public Library (EPL) teams are working at finalizing proposals to exchange and I have asked them to expedite the process as much as possible. We have dates scheduled with our Capital Power unit later in June and are hopeful that the bargaining process there will move smoothly. Bargaining at EPCOR has stalled due to some issues involving the EPCOR Benefits Plan and an arbitration that CSU 52 won in regard to representation of members denied Short Term Disability Benefits. We are hopeful that mediation will resume shortly. Our TELUS World of Science - Edmonton unit will see their current agreement expire at the end of 2022, so we will begin the process shortly of forming a bargaining team there and hopefully be prepared to begin bargaining before the end of the year. Being at the table with four, possibly five, units at the same time has put significant stress on our ability to run the day-to-day business of our Union: representation in all of its forms to our membership.

We are also preparing for the City of Edmonton to impose in place a new classification system of jobs late summer or early fall. This new classification system could create significant issues that may result in many appeals from our membership. This classification work along with bargaining, jurisdiction at Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and the City of Edmonton, a challenge that CSU 52 has brought to the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) regarding the status of unrepresented staff at Fort Edmonton, and with a vacancy in our Labour Relations area has resulted in your Board of Directors hiring three full level LRO’s and two Developmental LRO’s. This has also resulted from a planning perspective around succession.

CSU 52 recently filed an Unfair Labour Practice complaint with the ALRB against the City of Edmonton in regard to Short Term Disability claims being denied while a member has an open file at the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) for adjudication. The City has agreed to resume the previous practise of paying Short Term Disability while a WCB claim is being adjudicated. The City and CSU 52 continue to work towards resolving the full complaint at this time.

We have also been discussing the issue of safety in many work and surrounding locations. This is a matter of real concern for our members and the general public. For our members working in a number of different units at EPS and EPL locations, we hear you and continue to advocate on your behalf. The staffing levels at EPS in 911 and Call Eval are extremely concerning and are the subject of ongoing discussions.

In short, there is no lack of work and that is one of the reasons for bringing on extra staffing. It is our job in your Union Office to defend and, when necessary, protect your rights in the workplace. It is very apparent that seniority and unionized work areas are under attack and we need to push back. CSU 52 is very supportive of inclusion and diversity in all our workplaces and will work with our bargaining unit partners to achieve those goals without undermining our clauses in our collective agreements.

Thank you,
Lanny Chudyk