Chartwell Employees Ratify Solid First Agreement

DATE: March 03, 2011

Brampton, ON—Employees of Greenway Retirement Village voted 85 percent in favour of a first collective agreement negotiated on their behalf by Health Care and Service Workers Union, Local 304.

The three-year agreement improves starting wages, with increases ranging between two and three percent per year, and includes the introduction of a pension plan for all employees.

Improvements were also made to paid holidays, vacation time, and other benefits. “Having vision coverage and improvements to our dental coverage is great for us,” says Local 304 member Veronica Armstrong.

The new contract now allows employees to accrue sick time. This benefit is a great relief to employees because they work in a health care setting and are frequently exposed to the flu and other illnesses.

“The parties worked hard on getting this first agreement put into place,” says Michael Glockner, Ontario representative with the union. “The bargaining committee is to be commended for their time, effort, and insight throughout this process. The agreement gives us a solid footing to build on, and we look forward to doing just that.”