When the Ontario government announced that the minimum wage would be going up in the fall last month, SEIU Local 2 members cleaning in the GTA knew they had secured an extra bump in pay thanks to important language the Collective Agreement.
Last year, janitors covered by Toronto City-Wide Agreements ratified a new deal containing the largest increases we’ve ever won. The agreement also included other important gains and sets the standard for industry negotiations across the city, including important language protecting our wages from inflation through a minimum wage trigger.
“It was very important for our bargaining team to protect worker wages from the rising cost of living,” said Renielda Torcende, a member of the bargaining team. “Now because of the language we won last year, cleaners will have another 25 cents added to our increases this year.”
The Collective Agreement reads:
Effective January 1, 2023, if the provincial government increases the minimum wage by an amount that is greater than the combined wage increases in any calendar year of this agreement the wage rates will be adjusted upward to account for the difference. (For example: If the minimum wage is increased by 85 cents on Oct 1, 2023, the wage increase for Oct 1, 2023 shall be 35 cents instead of 30 cents).
After the April raises Light Duty (LD) are now up to $17.20 and Heavy Duty (HD) up to $17.95 (plus applicable premiums). Cleaners were looking at increase to $17.50 for LD and $ 18.25 for HD on October 1st. Instead, those increases will now be up to $17.75 and $18.50 respectively.
The current Collective Agreement runs from April 2022 thought the end of March 2025. If you would like to review the highlights won in those negotiations, click here. Note the raises in October in Year 2, are an now additional $0.25 than what appears in the chart).
For more information, speak to you Union steward, or contact your rep.
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