Kinark Child & Family Services employees join the Union

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May 20, 2021

A big welcome to employees at Kinark Child & Family Services who are some of our newest members at UFCW Local 175!

Employees at the Kinark Child & Family Services location in Mississauga reached out to UFCW Local 175 to organize their workplace so they could negotiate better working conditions.

One of the major reasons these workers wanted to join the union was to address current staffing and scheduling guidelines. In particular, women on staff who have children have felt the existing approach interferes with their ability to spend time with their families. Through collective bargaining, these workers hope to achieve guidelines that allow for a far better work-life balance.

Other gains these new members want to work toward are:

  • Better wages, including getting paid for time during shift change,
  • Co-payment of benefits, and;
  • Language for internal job postings.

Interested in learning more about what joining UFCW Local 175 can do for your work life? Check out our page on why joining a Union is a great choice for working people today, or read more worker victories like this.

Our newest members provide vital child and youth mental health services.

While most of the employees are Child & Youth workers, there is also a social worker and nurse in the new bargaining unit bringing the total employees at Kinark who will now enjoy the benefits of being Union to 22. The majority of these employees are women and young workers.

Kinark Child & Family Services is a residential home known as the Vanier Residence. The employees at the home provide vital programs for youth between the ages of 13 and 17 who have chronic and complex mental health issues. This support includes emotional regulations, mindfulness, therapy, skill groups, coping strategies and much more. Staff provide support and supervision to their clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Curious about what kinds of things you might be able to negotiate for if you belonged to UFCW Local 175? Check out our Negotiation Updates to see what members have ratified in their own collective agreements.

UFCW Local 175 welcomes these workers to the Union’s HOPE Sector where they join thousands of other healthcare workers in enjoying the benefit of being Union. Thank you to these new members for stepping up and making the important decision to improve their working conditions. Welcome to Your Union.


Healthcare workers at UFCW Local 175 belong to the Union’s HOPE Sector.

What does HOPE mean? It stands for Health, Office, and Professional Employees. Learn more about why Health Care workers benefit from belonging to UFCW Local 175!

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