Unionized Mariposa workers held an information picket in front of the seniors’ facility recently. (Keith Lacey file photo)
A tentative agreement has been reached between the 120 unionized staff and management at the Mariposa Gardens residential care facility in Osoyoos.
A mediator appointed by the provincial Labour Relations Board (LRB) was able to bring the two sides together last Thursday at an Osoyoos hotel and a deal was reached after several hours of negotiations.
The negotiating teams from the Health Employees Union Mariposa Gardens and from Baybridge/Baltic Properties, which owns and operates Mariposa Gardens, have recommended the tentative agreement and a final vote by unionized members will be held on July 19, said Will McKay, the managing partner for Baybridge/Baltic properties.
“The deal was reached on Thursday,” said McKay. “The mediator brought in was a very experienced labour negotiator and he was able to bring both parties to a meeting of the minds in Osoyoos.”
The new two-year contract will be retroactive to Dec. 1, when the old three-year contract expired, said McKay.
McKay said he’s thrilled to have a new deal in place and he’s confident the unionized members will vote in favour of the contract on July 19.
“Nobody really wants a labour disruption or labour dispute no matter what people might say,” said McKay. “This deal allows us to move forward to the job at hand.”
Tammy Garbutt, a residential care aide who is chair of the union’s bargaining committee, said the union’s negotiating team is strongly recommending the members accept the new deal.
There will be a staff meeting on Friday to inform the members about the details of the new contract and she’s expecting overwhelming support when they vote on ratifying the contract on July 19.
“We’re very confident it’s going to go through,” said Garbutt. “We think it’s a very good deal and I’m really hoping it will go through.”
The provincial mediator played a huge role in bringing both sides together and hammering out a new deal in a matter of hours on Thursday, she said.
“The mediator did a great job and made a huge difference in negotiations,” she said.
The majority of members don’t know all of the details of the new contract, including significant wage increases, and that’s why a staff meeting amongst all the members is being held on Friday, she said.
“We haven’t put out all the details because we want to have everyone together before detailing exactly what’s in the offer,” she said. “I’m absolutely happy with the offer.”
The best news of all is the residents at Mariposa Gardens will continue to receive outstanding health care services, said Garbutt.
“This is really a great place to work,” she said. “All we wanted is to be fairly compensated for our hard work.”
McKay agreed with union representatives that wages were at the heart of the dispute and he’s pleased that the union’s negotiating team was satisfied with the offer presented during final negotiations.
“The union’s bargaining committee seems happy with our offer and we feel (the company) can live with this new deal and can now move forward,” he said.
While previous contracts at Mariposa Gardens were three years in duration, both parties agreed a two-year deal was the best solution at the present time, he said.
“We’ve had one year deals at some of our other facilities and some with three-year deals … we decided to split this one up the middle,” he said. “We feel it was a good compromise to split the difference.”
Becky Marlatt, the regional director of operations for Baybridge/Baltic and a former general manager at Mariposa Gardens, said she’s also thrilled a tentative agreement has been reached and the residents at the facility can rest easy knowing they will be well taken care of moving forward with the same dedicated staff in place.
“Our team of employees will now be able to continue in providing excellence in care to our residents,” she said.
The 120 unionized employees had been working under the provisions of their old contract, which expired on the last day of November last fall.
McKay was always confident that a deal would be reached to avoid a labour dispute.
“We’ve gone though mediation in the past with other care homes that we own and with other unions and usually you come to a conclusion pretty quickly,” he said before mediated talks started last Thursday morning at the Holiday Inn in Osoyoos. “To be perfectly honest, it takes the emotion out of things and these guys are very good at bringing parties together and coming up with agreeable deals.”
The 120 workers gave the union’s negotiators 95-per-cent support for a strike mandate nearly two months ago.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
