Birmingham Retirement Community Employees Overwhelmingly Ratify New Contract

Mount Forest, ON—Employees of Birmingham Retirement Community, a small retirement home in Mount Forest, overwhelmingly ratified a two-year collective agreement providing them with wage and other improvements.

The approximately 40 employees, who work as PSWs, RPNs, dietary aides, cooks, and housekeeping staff, are represented by Health Care and Service Workers Union, CLAC Local 304. The union has represented them since 1995.

The new contract provides employees with an across-the-board wage increase of three percent. In addition, RPNs will receive a special wage adjustment of $1 per hour for each line on the wage progression grid, based on their previous and related experience. PSWs will receive a special wage adjustment of $0.25 per hour to start, with additional increases of $0.20 per hour after 1,800 hours worked, $0.15 after 3,600 hours, and $0.10 after 5,400 hours. Newly hired PSWs’ wage grid progression will be based on previous and related experience. Part-time employees will benefit from an increase to the in-lieu-of-benefits premium, and the weekend premium increases from $0.25 to $0.30 per hour.

“The union bargaining committee did an excellent job of prioritizing members’ needs as well as what the home needed to retain and attract staff,” says Erica Costin, CLAC representative. “We are pleased with the outcome of negotiations and the strong endorsement by the membership, who voted 87 percent in favour of ratifying the contract.”