It took some time, but Grey County has reached a deal with unionized workers at two of its long-term care homes.
At its meeting on Oct. 24, Grey County council unanimously voted in favour of approving a Collective Bargaining Agreement with unionized workers at Grey Gables in Markdale and Lee Manor in Owen Sound.
Council voted to ratify and approve the new agreement and to authorize the warden and clerk to sign the document making it official.
“I am happy to say we are below our upset limit, just a little bit,” Jenn Moreau, director of human resources, told council. “We had a very successful bargaining process with our union partners.”
Workers at the two homes are represented by OPSEU 299. The previous collective agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2023. The county and the union held 12 bargaining sessions over 10 months.
Lee Manor has 237 unionized employees (84 full-time and 153 part-time) and Grey Gables has 139 unionized employees (46 full-time and 93 part-time). These staff members include personal support workers (PSWs), registered practical nurses (RPNs), food service workers, cooks, recreationists, housekeepers, maintenance and laundry workers.
Workers at the county’s third home - Rockwood Terrace in Durham - are represented by Unifor, a different union.
The talks entered conciliation with a Ministry of Labour assigned Conciliation Officer on Oct. 3 and ended with a new agreement.
In her report on the matter, Moreau said a goal of the county’s at the start of the bargaining process was to end with a single consolidated collective agreement for both homes.
“The parties have ended this round of bargaining with agreed central language for both homes that will form a central agreement. Local language particular to the efficient functioning of each home such as scheduling, and hours of work remain in place,” Moreau said in her report.
Specific details of the new agreement were not available as union members were actively voting on the agreement the week of the council meeting. County council went into a closed session briefly to receive more details about the agreement.
The report did include brief financial details of the agreement. The report states that the new agreement will cost an additional $249,100 at Grey Gables in 2024 and $597,460 at Lee Manor in 2024. In the second year (2025) the agreement will cost $291,980 additionally at Grey Gables and $168,800 at Lee Manor.
