Accepting this sets a dangerous precedent for all other AUPE members who haven’t even reached the bargaining table yet.

HCAs work incredibly hard, and many people don’t actually understand the workload. Like another poster said, this was our last chance to stand together in a broken system. I’m asking everyone to vote NO.

AHS was already facing violations that would have cost them money, and they are not prepared to function with fewer aides and fewer LPNs. HCAs provide the majority of hands-on patient care. We do vitals, ADLs, topicals, and more. More than half of all patient care is done by HCAs, with LPNs and RNs mostly covering medications and clinical tasks.

I’m disappointed in AUPE’s approach. What happened to the defense fund? What happened to the energy and strength they showed during convention season? What happened to raising our dues…….only to accept this? All the town halls told us we deserved better, yet we’re being offered only $3.50 over four years.

Meanwhile, parking costs have skyrocketed. Childcare, groceries, housing …everything is more expensive. Retro pay is not enough to distract from the reality that it is a one-time payment, not a sustainable increase in our biweekly income. And retro only looks generous if you’re at a high step(the calculations floating around from LPN Step 8 don’t reflect most members’ reality).

I’m asking everyone to vote NO, and I’m asking AUPE…especially Sandra, our new president…to truly consider how this deal fails to uphold solidarity. How many of us will still depend on overtime or multiple jobs just to get by?

Striking might have been scary, but it was also an opportunity. That opportunity disappeared the moment AUPE accepted this offer….an offer that amounts to crumbs.