2025 HRM Bargaining Updates

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GDI AGREEMENT RATIFIED!

SEIU members ratified their new collective agreement in Halifax on Saturday January 25, 2025! Congratulations on a hard fought contract. A strike has been averted and job actions for Monday have been cancelled.

Copies of the new collective agreement will be dropped off at work sites in the coming weeks.

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BEE-CLEAN CITY-WIDE & AIRPORT AGREEMENTS RATIFIED!

SEIU members covered by the Bee-Clean city-wide agreement, and the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, ratified their new CBAs in Halifax on SundayĀ January 26, 2025.

Copies of the new collective agreements will be dropped off at work sites in the coming weeks.

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RATIFICATION VOTE

Saturday January 25

3-5 pm

Atlantica Hotel Halifax
1980 Robie St.

Halifax, NS B3H 3G5

It is of the upmost importance that you attend and cast your ballot.

At this juncture there are only two options:

  • VOTE YES = If the agreement is approved by a majority of the membership that attends, you will have a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, and the strike will be cancelled.
  • VOTE NO = If the agreement is not approved by a majority of the membership that attends, strike action will commence on Monday.

The decision will be carried by the majority of members who attend the ratification vote ā€“ so please attend!

Details of the tentative agreement will be presented at the ratification vote. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Jackie Swaine Jswaine@seiulocal2.ca 902-455-1095 (Office)

Tina Oh at toh@seiulocal2.caĀ  or 902-955-9966 (Cell)

Brock Bodo at bbodo@seiulocal2.caĀ  or 437-551-8246 (Cell)

STRIKE ACTION

If the tentative agreement is not ratified, we will officially start our strike on Monday, January 27.Ā 

This means you would not report to work on Monday.

This applies to every member from every location.

Rally on Monday @ Noon at The Wave

If the tentative agreement is not ratified, we will mark the first day of our strike with a mass rally.

We will meet at The Wave (corner of Lower Water St. & Sackville St.) at 12 pm for a rally, free food, music and more.

You will be provided with your strike schedule.

Priorities

According to the bargaining surveys and conversations with members, our priorities are:

Fair Wages

Members are living pay check to pay check. We need increases that keep up with the cost of living!

Benefits for All

Currently about 2/3 of GDI workers do not qualify for benefits. Thatā€™s not good enough!

Retirement Security

CPP and Old Age Security are not enough to retire on. All workers deserve to retire with dignity.

Manageable Workloads

Members are concerned about increasing workloads. We want language in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows us to fight back against unfair workloads.

SEIU Reaches Tentative Deal with Bee Clean!
Bee Clean is GDIā€™s biggest competitor in the HRM.

What does this mean for GDI employees?

The tentative agreement with Bee Clean is superior to GDIā€™s proposal in a number of ways:

It is still our hope that GDI presents an acceptable proposal at our next conciliation meeting this Thursday, January 23, 2025, that addresses your priorities (fair wages, fair workloads, health benefits, and retirement security), and that your bargaining committee can recommend and bring before you for a vote.

You should not have to settle for anything less than Bee Clean workers. If they can do it, so can GDI.

If a tentative agreement is not reached, we will be proceeding with our strike.

Please Note: We are in the process of arranging a ratification vote for members working for Bee Clean and details of their agreement cannot be disclosed beforehand.

Voices

As it stands, two thirds of workers do not qualify for benefits and that simply is not good enough. We all need the financial improvement, and we all deserve the peace of mind of having medical benefits.

Omar Joof

Iā€™ve been working for this company and its predecessors for 32 years. Iā€™m 64 and would like to be thinking about retirement, but itā€™s hard when you donā€™t have a pension. We all deserve to retire with dignity.

James Parker

Iā€™ve been working for here for 15 years now. One thing I keep seeing is how they pressure us to do more and more with fewer people. Our building went from 5 to 3 workers. We need protection from unfair workloads.

Justin Bosch

GDI workers in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver have most of these things. Why donā€™t we? Why do these companies believe they can do as they please with us? We need to stand up for ourselves!

Kinley Revels

Pledge Card Campaign

We need respect and a fair contract, but the company refuses to provide fair wage increases and other important improvements.

We are asking all members to take the strike pledge to join cleaners across the city on strike if GDI does not provide what we need to support our families!

Donā€™t forget to send us a photo of you with your pledge card! Individual or group photos are welcome!

If you do not have a pledge card, you can get them from our office. Contact Bonnie at: 902-455-1095 orĀ blangille@seiulocal2.ca

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

When does the strike begin?

If we do not reach an agreement with GDI, the strike begins on Monday January 27.

We will be gathering for a mass rally at the Wave at noon.

Why are we going on strike?

GDI is refusing to bargain fairly. Our priorities are: better wages, health benefits for all, retirement security & manageable workloads. SEIU GDI janitors in other cities already have this. GDI is a multi-billion-dollar company partly because of the hard work that we do across this city. History shows that striking is the strongest tool workers have in order to win what we and our families deserve!

Will there be strike pay?

Yes. You get strike pay if you actively picket.

Once a strike starts, GDI will pay out any hours worked. After one week on strike, the Union will provide strike pay of $4OO/week tax-free to members that fulfill picket duties. If the strike lasts longer than four weeks, pay will increase to $45O/week tax-free.

What happens to my benefits?

The Union Trust will continue coverage for members who currently qualify for benefits.

Can I be reprimanded or fired for participating in a strike?

Absolutely not. In Canada, striking is a legally protected right. It is illegal for the boss to discipline, fire or treat you unfairly for striking. If this happens, let the Union know RIGHT AWAY.

Will there be strike training?

Yes. Strike Preparedness training is taking place on Saturday January 18 and Sunday the 19th.
Members need only attend ONE of the two trainings.Ā 

Saturday January 18, 12-4 pm | Sunday January 19, 2025, 5-9 pm (Attend ONE)
Location: Homewood Suites / Hilton, 1960 Brunswick St.

Why did we have a strike vote?

We held a strike vote on November 16, 2024, because it had become very clear that GDI was not respecting the issues members had identified as priorities. After four days of bargaining, we had not gotten anywhere on these issues.

What is a strike mandate?

Itā€™s when the majority of ballots cast approve a strike, and the bargaining committee is able to return to the bargaining table with majority support for a strike. This provides your committee with more power and puts the employer on notice that we are ready to take action.

What is conciliation?

Conciliation is the process of intervention in collective bargaining by a neutral third party knowledgeable in effective negotiation procedures. This third party is called a ā€œConciliation Officer,ā€ and their job is to help employers and unions reach a collective agreement, but they do not have the authority to impose binding decisions.

To date, conciliation has NOT resulted in an agreement. A final conciliation meeting is scheduled for Thursday January 23, 2025.

Will we have picket lines at every building or property?

We will mark the first day of our strike with a mass rally.

We will meet at The Wave (corner of Lower Water St. & Sackville St.) at 12 pm for a rally, free food, music and more.

You will be provided with your strike schedule.

What happens if my co-worker crosses the picket line?

Crossing the picket line is a serious matter. Union members can be fined up to the sum of their wages for working while there is a strike taking place.

What if my supervisor asks me if I plan on striking?

You do not have to answer that question and cannot be disciplined or reprimanded for refusing to answer. Ask your supervisor to contact the Union office for all work stoppage-related questions. If you are reprimanded, terminated, or threatened with either, please contact the Union office immediately.

What if the cleaning company tells me we will lose the contract at the property where I work?

This behaviour constitutes an Unfair Labour Practice. It is illegal for the company to threaten your job in any way because you are exercising your legal right to strike. Please contact the Union office immediately.

What can I do in the meantime?

It is very important that you attend the strike preparedness training.

If you haven’t already done so, sign a pledge card and send us a photo ā€“ and get at least one co-worker to do the same. Talk to your co-workers about why the improvements we are fighting for are important to you and your loved ones.

Make sure we have your email so you receive important information and updates.

Does this mean we will be going on strike soon?

No. While voting to approve a strike does mean you may go on strike, it does not mean you go on strike right away or for certain. In fact, there is a process before picket lines go up.

  1. First, we go back to negotiations with a strike mandate and try to win a fair deal.
  2. If we canā€™t come to an agreement, we file for conciliation. This means someone assigned by the Minister of Labour tries to help us reach a deal.
  3. If after conciliation meetings we still canā€™t reach an agreement, the conciliator files a report stating that the two sides are at an impasse (i.e. canā€™t agree on a deal).
  4. From there we have a two-week ā€œcooling offā€ period. During that time, we may still try to reach a deal with GDI.
  5. If we still donā€™t have a deal after that the cooling off period, we go on strike after issuing a 48-hour notice.

Will we have picket lines at every building or property?

Not necessarily. When we go on strike we can strategically choose to picket where we will have the biggest impact. The idea is also to have an element of surprise in what we sometimes call ā€œrolling strikes.ā€

Condensed Translated FAQs