Members at the Comfort Inn in Barrie achieve a new agreement
January 22, 2021
Members working at the Comfort Inn on Essa Road in Barrie ratified a new collective agreement on January 17, 2021.
Previously, front desk and housekeeping employees at this location had separate agreements. For this round of bargaining, the Union Negotiating Committee took the best provisions from each agreement and negotiated to reach a single collective agreement with improvements to benefit all of the members at the hotel.
The newly combined agreement contains pandemic-related language to better protect the members going forward including application of the Precautionary Principle. Applying the Precautionary Principle in workplace health and safety means to eliminate hazards before they cause harm. In addition, the language addresses Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the Joint Health & Safety Committee’s (JHSC) role in giving input on infection control protocols.
Over the three-year term, members will receive increases totalling 45 cents per hour. The first increase of 15 cents per hour is retroactive to January 1, 2021. In addition, members will receive lump sum payments upon ratification: full-time will receive $500 and part-time will receive $250.
Company contributions toward the workers’ dental plan will improve in each year of the agreement. Members also benefit from an improved health spending account of $250 per year, up from $200.
Language improvements include providing each member a paid day off for their birthday. Bereavement language improves for Housekeeping members who now receive five days’ paid leave, instead of three, for the death of an immediate family member.
Lastly, the employer agreed to contribute $250 per year toward the UFCW Local 175 Training & Education Fund.
Union Negotiating Committee: Terri Todoruk and Union Rep Ali Farman.
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