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Group of 17 home care workers ratifies collective agreements

“These agreements have improvements to wages and contract language, which are steps towards these workers getting the compensation they deserve for the valuable service they provide to our province's most vulnerable." — Jerry Earle, NAPE President

St. John's (30 Sept. 2015) — Home care workers for the Group of 17 home care agencies, who are members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE), have voted in favour of ratifying their new collective agreements. The new collective agreements cover approximately 3,000 home care workers across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Improvements to wages and contract language in renewed agreements

The ratified agreements include increases in wages as well as improvements in contract language. Since NAPE/NUPGE is still at the bargaining table with several home care agencies not included in the Group of 17, details of the agreements will not be released at this time so as to not affect the remaining sets of negotiations.

“We are very pleased that home care members in the Group of 17 voted in favour of these agreements,” said NAPE President Jerry Earle. “These agreements have improvements to wages and contract language, which are steps towards these workers getting the compensation they deserve for the valuable service they provide to our province's most vulnerable. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the bargaining team who worked diligently over the past year to make this result a reality.”

The agreements are between home care workers, represented by NAPE/NUPGE, and the following 17 home care agencies, referred to as the Group of 17: A Better Living, Maximum Home Support, Total Care Nursing, Bettercare, Notre Dame Compassionate Care, Your Home Care Services, Comfort Home Care, Provincial (Central), Loving Hands, Compassion Home Care, Provincial (Eastern), Serenity Home Care, Exploits Home Care, Quality Home Care, Horwoods Home and Community Support Services, Helping Hands and Rosemore Home Care.

Bargaining continues for nine other home care agencies

NAPE/NUPGE is still in various stages of bargaining with the following home care agencies: Caregivers, Tender Loving Care, South Coast Home Care, All Care Home Support, Best of Care, Angel’s Touch Home Care, Caring Hands Home Care, Placentia Home Care/Home Sweet Home, and In Home Health Care.

The union is hopeful that ratified agreements with the Group of 17 will lead to a speedy resolution to these remaining sets of negotiations.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE