A dog was among the rallygoers protesting the Good Samaritan Society in Lethbridge, March 3, 2023. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Protesters call for new deal with Good Samaritan Society

Mar 3, 2023 | 2:04 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – “Being called the Good Samaritan Society, they’re not being very good samaritans to their own workers,” says an organizer of a rally in downtown Lethbridge on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) Vice-President Darren Graham was among dozens of people who attended a protest in opposition to ongoing labour challenges and contract disputes with the Good Samaritan Society.

Graham tells Lethbridge News Now that approximately 1,700 employees at continuing care and long-term care facilities across Alberta are impacted. Some of the employees include healthcare aides, nurses, and maintenance and kitchen workers.

The Good Samaritan Society operates several facilities in southern Alberta, including in Lethbridge, Magrath, Cardston, Taber, Raymond, Medicine Hat, and Pincher Creek.

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Graham says, “It’s been five-and-a-half years with no collective agreement. The employer was supposed to put forward proposals at the bargaining table in March [2023], and mid-February, they gave us notice they’re walking away from the table.”

One of the issues in securing a new deal with the Good Samaritan Society is what Graham calls a “continuing revolving door of management.”

“This has happened multiple times with this round of bargaining. They keep changing out their bargaining people and just continuing to stall negotiations,” says Graham.

Graham says AUPE has put forward their contract offer, but the Good Samaritan Society has not done the same.

A spokesperson with the Good Samaritan Society, however, says in a statement that the society remains in active bargaining with the union.

The society says Alberta Health Services (AHS) has reduced its funding for 77 beds at the Good Samaritan Southgate Care Centre in Edmonton. This has led to staffing reductions at the site in both clinical and non-clinical roles.

However, the Good Samaritan Society spokesperson says, “We have no layoffs in Lethbridge and there are no such plans.”

The Government of Alberta is set to invest nearly $4.3 billion into the continuing care system over the next three years as part of Budget 2023. Although this represents an overall increase in funding, Graham says he is not optimistic that it will be enough to get the Good Samaritan Society back to the bargaining table.

Dozens attend a protest in downtown Lethbridge, calling for the Good Samaritan Society to resume contract talks with AUPE workers, March 3, 2023. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

A dog was among the rallygoers protesting the Good Samaritan Society in Lethbridge, March 3, 2023. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

A dog was among the rallygoers protesting the Good Samaritan Society in Lethbridge, March 3, 2023. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

READ MORE: Province to increase investments in continuing care

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