SMS Bargaining Update: Impasse

Dear SMS members,

After 11 days of bargaining, negotiations between the union and the employer reached impasse today. Next week, your bargaining committee will be hosting meetings with members to discuss next steps. During these meetings, we will provide information regarding options about potential job action up to and including a strike vote.

We are far apart on many key issues identified by the membership. This has been made clear because the Employer failed to engage in a meaningful way on several of the key proposals that were mandated by members including:

General wage increase
Work intensification
Extended Health Benefits
Internal equity

Meetings will be held Wednesday, April 19 at the following times and locations:

12:30 pm-1:30 pm (Room 2)
3:30 pm- 4:30 pm (Room 2)
6:30 pm- 7:30 pm (Via Zoom-Check Your Email)

We strongly encourage members to attend at least one of these important bargaining unit meetings. We remain committed to reaching a fair and equitable collective agreement that meets the needs of our membership in these challenging times.

Thank you for the ongoing support and encouragement during this lengthy round of bargaining.

In solidarity,

Mike Keddy
Cory Steadman
Bev Waterfield
Rhiannon Bray, Labour Relations Officer