ParaMed Waterloo ratifies

ParaMed Waterloo ratifies wage increases, sick days for part-time workers and numerous language improvements with new collective agreement.

ParaMed Home Health Care (Waterloo) in Kitchener and Cambridge ratified a three-year agreement on April 8, 2025. Wages for these HOPE Sector healthcare workers will improve in each year of the collective agreement amounting to 6% over the term. Members will also receive a signing bonus of $500 for full-time workers and $250 for part-time and casual employees.

The contract includes numerous language improvements including:

• Sick leave increases by 15 hours to 37.5 hours per year to a maximum of 5 days.  Part-time is now eligible for sick days, and legacy staff to maintain 80 hours per year to a maximum of 10 days.
• Additional week of vacation for employees with 20 years of service.
• In bereavement leave, the three-day category will be eliminated and all family members will fall into the five-day entitlement. There is also new language to include immediate step-family.
• Increase mileage from $.42 to $.50 per kilometre. 
• Increase on-call pay by $10 each on-call shift.
• Introduction of Labour Management meetings.
• The sunset clause is reduced from 18 months to 15 months.
• Clearer on-call and scheduling language.
• New Letter of Understanding for Nurses to ensure full-time status is maintained.  
• Nurses have the option to request additional vacation pay anytime or to be paid out on each pay cheque. 
• RPN’s who complete education and become an RN while working will be credited experience up to three years and advancement on the wage scale.

The employer had aspirations of changing to a benefit plan that would see some employees paying higher premiums, but we were successful in maintaining the current benefit plan.

Union negotiating committee: Debbie Charron, Benedetta Di Girolamo, Tracey Killingbeck-Hanke, and Sharon Wende. Union representative: Sacha Edey.

Read more Negotiation Updates from the Local 175 HOPE Sector! What’s HOPE? It stands for Health, Office & Professional Employees.

In health care facilities, it is the front-line workers who shoulder the responsibility in caring for patients. Find out why Health Care workers benefit from belonging to our Union!

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