Monday, April 3, 2023

Ratifications

Birmingham Retirement Community

Local 304 members employed by this small retirement home in Mount Forest voted 87% in favour of ratifying a 2-year agreement providing them with an across-the-board wage increase of 3%. In addition, RPNs will receive a special wage adjustment of $1/hr. for each line on the wage progression grid, based on their previous and related experience. PSWs will receive a special wage adjustment of 25¢/hr. to start, with additional increases of 20¢/hr. after 1,800 hours worked, 15¢ after 3,600 hours, and 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 25¢ to 30¢/hr.

Hampton Court Retirement Residence

Local 304 members employed by this home in Southampton ratified a 3-year agreement providing them with a $1/hr. across-the-board wage increase followed by 3% increases in each of the next 2 years. Most staff will see approximately 12% in wage increases over the term. Other improvements include the introduction of a medication distribution premium and weekend premium and an increase to the night-shift premium. The agreement also provides an increase to vision coverage, inclusion of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday, and earlier enrolment in the pension plan.

Maple City Residence Ltd.

Local 303 members employed by this home in Chatham unanimously ratified a 3-year agreement providing them with a $1/hr. wage increase for all classifications in the first year, effective October 1, 2022 (which works out to a 5 to 6.5% increase), and 3% increases in both years 2 and 3, which works out total wage increases over the term of between 11 to 12.5%. In addition, the uniform allowance increases to 10¢/hr., weekend premium increases to 45¢/hr., part-time premium in-lieu-of-benefits premium increases to 65¢/hr., and the in-charge premium/UCP increases to $1.55/hr.

Improvements were also made to members’ benefits coverage. Life insurance payout increases from $30,000 to $35,000, dependent life increases from $5,000 to $10,000, and dependent child life insurance increases from $2,500 to $5,000. The drug prescription deductible dropped from $5 per prescription to $1.

In addition, the contract provides improved job posting and bereavement language, introduction of language to address pay errors, improved language to guarantee a minimum of 3 hours work or pay for a scheduled shift, and new language to recognize previous related experience of new hires.

Pine Grove Lodge

Local 304 members employed by this home in Woodbridge ratified a two-year collective agreement providing them with a 3% general wage increase in each year of the agreement. It also enshrines in the wage grid the $3/hr. provincial wage enhancement provided to PSWs during the pandemic.

The agreement provides special adjustments for RPNs and cooks as well as for dietary, housekeeping, laundry, and maintenance staff. Vision coverage was increased, an evening shift premium was introduced along with an improved weekend premium, and the in-lieu-of-benefits premium for part-time staff was increased. Bereavement leave will now also be provided for the death of a stepchild or stepparent.

St. Joseph’s Hospital

Local 503 members employed as security personnel at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton ratified a 3-year agreement providing them with wage increases to help offset the increased cost of living due to inflation. As one of the first collective agreements in the hospital sector to address the former moderation period under Bill 124, recently struck down by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the agreement had few precedents to guide negotiators. The Ontario government is appealing the ruling to the Court of Appeal of Ontario.

“While Bill 124 is gone, the reality is that funding pressures are still very intense in the hospital sector,” says Michael Reid, CLAC representative and lead negotiator for the union. “As such, we were unable to reach a settlement that would see wage gains over inflation. But we were able to provide much more significant economic gains than could have been achieved under Bill 124, which restricted increases in the public sector to a mere one percent.”

The resulting agreement includes wage increases of two and three percent for a total of eight percent over the years 2021, 2022, and 2023.

“Increased funding is urgently needed to retain workers in this sector,” says Reid. “We are appalled that the Ford government has appealed Justice Markus Koehnen’s ruling on Bill 124, which said that the law infringed on the rights to collective bargaining and freedom of association. CLAC stands firmly behind these rights. They are an absolute necessity for the protection of workers.”

Ratifications

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