N.B. Makes Final Offer To Nursing Home Workers

The New Brunswick government has made its final contract offer to more than 4,000 unionized nursing home workers.

Officials with the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions (NBCNHU) shared the details of the offer Friday.

It includes annual wage increases of one, 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 per cent. Workers would also get two fewer sick days a year.

Patrick Roy, the provincial coordinator with the NBCNHU, said the union is seeking a three per cent increase over each of the four years.

Roy said their request is based on a recent conciliation board report, which recommended yearly increases of three per cent for labour and trade workers represented by CUPE Local 1190.

“We’re saying ‘well, we’re in the same situation, the same arguments for economics and that’ so we’re proposing three per cent as that neutral third party has done,” said Roy.

The union is also asking for money to deal with recruitment and retention but did not offer a specific amount.

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Roy said they received the latest offer by email late Thursday — hours after some media outlets were made aware of its existence.

“It’s kind of disgusting the way we received the offer just by an email,” he said. “They didn’t even have the decency to set up a session, meet with us face-to-face.”

Premier Blaine Higgs said the government approved the “enhanced offer” to reach a fair settlement with nursing home workers.

“We are starting to hear directly from workers who are frustrated and want to move on,” said Higgs. “We agree it is time to achieve a fair and affordable settlement so that everyone can move forward.”

Higgs also accused union leadership of bringing forward unrealistic wage demands to set a precedent for higher wages for all employee groups.

“This action has put nursing home workers in the middle of a tug-of-war,” he said. “These workers have waited long enough for wage increases and deserve to be treated fairly.”

Since the province has declared it a final offer, it must now go to union members for a vote. The New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board will co-ordinate and oversee secret-ballot voting in each nursing home.

The workers’ previous contract expired in October of 2016.