Saskatoon care home workers vote to accept new offer

Workers at group homes run by LutherCare Communities in Saskatoon have voted to accept an offer after over 14 months of negotiations and two rounds of job action.

A memorandum of agreement was reached between the employer and the Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West) on Wednesday.

The union says wages and attempts to secure a guaranteed two-day weekend were key sticking points in the talks that stalled earlier this year.

“The Employer finally came to our members with a reasonable offer that we were willing to take to a vote,” SEIU-West president Barbara Cape said. “The members have voted to accept the offer.”

Cape said the employer has agreed to provide the wage increase and paid recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday in the new collective agreement.

“The SEIU-West Bargaining Committee was able to achieve a resolve to the concerns regarding scheduling that were a priority for the staff working for LutherCare Communities Group Homes,” Cape said.

Workers issued strike notice last month after talks stalled between the union and employer, which removed some of their services and further escalated on April 29.

They withdrew some services including managing dirty dishes and cutlery in six unionized LutherCare group homes across the city, adding to their existing withdrawal of transportation services for residents.