More than 130 unionized shelter workers in Nova Scotia have won some of the highest wages in the sector across all the Atlantic provinces.
Ninety-eight per cent of workers at the Bridge by Adsum in Dartmouth voted to join the Service Employees International Union in June of 2024.
In a release, SEIU Local 2 says after months of negotiations and delays, they reached a tentative contract on October 10th and ratified it on Monday.
It’s the first union contract for the workers at the largest housing shelter in Atlantic Canada.
The local represents a large chunk of the Halifax regional Municipality shelter worker sector, including staff at Welcome Housing, Out of the Cold, and Shelter Nova Scotia.
Besides the pay increase, the shelter workers will get an overnight shift premium of $1.50 per hour, retro pay to their Union certification, additional paid sicks days, a pension plan starting January 2027, and more.
In a statement, full-time support worker and mother of two Terri Ayles says, “Ratifying this first contract means I can finally earn a wage I can live on and take the time I need when I or my kids get sick. ” Ayles works three jobs to make ends meet and adds, “It’s about having the security to care for my family and not having to choose between a paycheck and our health.”
