A CUPE vote moves Nova Scotia’s long-term care workers’ strike toward completion, with ratification at the lead bargaining location setting the stage for other locals to follow. CUPE members at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Halifax ratify a new collective agreement after the provincial government and the local’s bargaining team struck a tentative deal on Saturday. CUPE describes the Halifax local as the “lead table” for long-term care sector bargaining, including negotiating terms that influence other bargaining groups, such as the economic pattern across the province. CUPE says all other affected CUPE locals at 36 long-term care facilities will hold their own ratification votes in the days ahead to finalize the process.
The strike began April 13 and eventually involved more than 3,500 workers across the province. Non-essential employees participated in picket lines for about eight weeks, while essential staff continued working to provide basic care. Workers returned to their jobs on Monday after the tentative agreement. The main dispute centered on wages: the union said many members could not cover living expenses, while the government maintained existing pay scales were acceptable. CUPE says the agreement includes at least a $5-per-hour raise over the collective agreement’s term, additional wages for supervising and training students, and improved layoff protections, with potential retroactive pay for a period when the previous deal had expired.
