Pension plan, better benefits part of deal: Union
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) workers in the Brant Haldimand Norfolk region in Ontario have ratified their first collective agreement, which will see some wages increased by as much as five per cent in the first year of the three-year deal, said the union.
The deal follows the 2016 merger of CMHA units in Simcoe and Brantford. The two groups of workers in the newly-certified 55-member bargaining unit of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) went into bargaining with different wage schedules and working conditions.
"There were two very different standards and entitlements within this new, merged organization," said Catherine Bomberry, president of OPSEU Local 218 and chair of the bargaining team. "For starters, the wage and benefits packages were quite unequal. It was our goal from the outset to ensure harmonization and equity in the workplace.
A pension plan for all, improved benefits, guaranteed sick days (including mental health days), and standardized vacation entitlements are among the gains achieved in the collective agreement. Employees will have annual pay increases of at least two per cent, according to OPSEU.
The collective agreement went into effect on April 21.
OPSEU represents more than 7,000 mental health workers in hospitals, community mental health agencies, crisis homes, and correctional services.
