Yukon Employees' Union Newsletter, March 2022

from Yukon Employees' Union Newsletter, March 2022

From the President’s Desk Steve Geick

As we close in on two years of living and working in a COVID- 19 world, I want to thank all the front-line workers who have put themselves in harm’s way to keep the Territory running. My genuine thanks to all of you, from healthcare providers to those keeping streets and highways safe, hard-working grocery store staff and those in the retail sector.

“You want to scream about what’s going on”; some of you may have read the letter published in the Whitehorse star on February 4th. Written by a healthcare worker, it offers painful insight into our Continuing Care facilities, illustrating what life is like for those working and living in Yukon’s longterm care homes during COVID lockdowns.

Yes, I do want to scream, specifically at Yukon Government for the incompetence and arrogance they have shown our members, especially their front-line workers, during the Pandemic. I have had many fruitless discussions with leadership at Health & Social Services regarding desperately low staffing levels, their abysmal recruitment and retention strategies, and the lack of any meaningful attempts to rectify the situation.

The convenient response sounds something like “it’s COVID, there is a shortage.” Bullshit! Staff, physicians, and the Union have raised red flags over near catastrophic staffing shortages in healthcare for many years, but still, they feign innocence. So, let’s put this into perspective.

Over the last two years the Department of Health and Social Services have excluded over 20 new managerial positions; this means positions created from scratch or those removed from the bargaining unit. Some quick fact-checking indicates that the combined salary and benefits for these positions over the two years is $4,272,750 and that’s without annual raises and performance bonuses.

These new excluded positions include such intriguing titles as Manager of Talent Acquisition and Workplace Planning, and the new Director of Transformation Innovation, Putting People First. It seems they’re putting the wrong people first; they’ve spent over FOUR MILLION DOLLARS for new management positions in only one Department, with little to show for it where it matters; the urgent acquisition of front-

line health worker talent. That same $4,272,750 could have paid a year’s wages for 46 Critical Care Paramedics, 72 Nursing Home Attendants or 41 Community Nurses.

It's worth noting that the Carcross Health Center is currently only open for emergencies due to staffing issues. That means that there is only one nurse available to service a community that’s reeling from opioid overdoses and COVID outbreaks. The Teslin Health Centre has also been placed on emergencyonly status as well, effective February 15th “due to staffing challenges”.

YEU first drew attention to this epidemic of understaffing in 2017*. Promises were made, nothing really changed, and then came COVID. It’s long past time for the Yukon government to spend our tax dollars where they’re needed most – supporting workers on the front lines, not padding the ranks of management. __________________________________________________

Strategic Planning meetings will be held in late April, guiding the direction of YEU’s work for this abbreviated two-year term. We’ll be meeting in the virtual world, and we hope to get a lot done over four days of meetings with staff, Executive, Locals and rank-and-file members.

We will invite members from all locals to participate in these planning discussions so we can hear directly from you about issues that need our attention. This is a new process, and we hope to see many of you around our virtual table.

Bargaining will take centre stage over the next six months as we enter into negotiations with 12 separate employers and continuing bargaining with Yukon government and the City of Whitehorse.

Stay in touch with your Local and be sure you’re subscribed for bargaining update emails so you can have your say in the bargaining demands that will be taken forward to the bargaining table. Your union, your priorities, your bargaining teams.

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Yukon Employees' Union Newsletter, March 2022