Health-care workers at a Newmarket long-term care home have voted in favour of ratifying a two-year collective agreement.
Staff at Eagle Terrace were among employees represented by CLAC Local 304 at five long-term care facilities owned and operated by Extendicare to vote almost unanimously in favour of the agreement.
Employees will receive a 3.5 per cent wage increase in both 2024 and 2025. Also, the agreement gives the union the authority to investigate errors in employees’ pay, and employees will be able to exchange statutory holidays for days of personal spiritual or cultural significance, CLAC said in a news release.
“The union bargaining committee did an excellent job of identifying employees’ concerns and addressing them through negotiations with the employer,” said CLAC representative Kevin Gates.
“Along with much-needed wage increases, the ability of the union to investigate and eliminate pay errors will alleviate frustrations members have had with discrepancies they’ve dealt with for the past few years with the company’s new payroll system. We’re pleased the agreement was overwhelmingly endorsed by the membership, and we look forward to building on the success of this round of bargaining with the next agreement.”
Other employees represented by CLAC Local 304 include those at Oak Terrace in Orillia, Garden City Manor in St. Catharines, Main Street Terrace in Toronto and Sumac Lodge in Sarnia. The agreement applies to more than 500 employees working as registered practical nurses, personal support workers, dietary workers, and recreation aides at those facilities.
