By a slim margin, local front-line mental health workers agreed to a new contract with the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin.
Wednesday’s vote saw 118 OPSEU Local 291 members vote in favour of the deal, and 113 against, according to the CMHA.
The union had been working without a contract for about a year, following a merger between the CMHA and Trellis Mental Health and Development Services in April 2013.
Workers had been concerned that they were paid different wages for doing the same job in different cities.
According to a CMHA press release, the new agreement features a “salary harmonization” process, as well as harmonized vacation and benefits packages, and 12 days of paid
“The leadership at CMHA WWD will dedicate itself to building bridges with all staff, regardless of how they voted,” CMHA WWD executive director Fred Wagner said in the release.
“The fact is that everyone who works with us shares a deep passion for the work that we do. We will build on this passion as we strive to create a workplace where all feel valued and respected as we fulfill our important public mission.”
Turnout among OPSEU Local 291 members at the ratification vote was 79 per cent.
The new contract runs through March 2017.
