Strike averted as SEIU Local 2 janitors ratify agreement in Halifax
Sunday, 26 January 2025 ()
GDI employees were set to strike on Monday, all job actions have been cancelled
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Jan. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEIU Local 2 janitors ratified a new collective agreement yesterday by an overwhelming majority. The 300 cleaners, who are employed by GDI Integrated Facility Services in the Halifax Regional Municipality, had been without a contract since the end of September and were set to start strike action tomorrow. What would have been the HRM’s first ever large-scale private sector janitorial strike has been averted.
The cleaners’ new contract has significant gains and was won thanks to a hard-fought campaign that saw the majority of workers make a public pledge to strike.
“I think everybody, from people who were bargaining, to everybody who was involved and showed up, and showed that there was support for this, it’s a win for everybody,” said Matthew Fielding, who has been working for GDI for almost 3 years.
Prior to the new agreement, most GDI cleaners in the HRM were earning between $15.60 and $16.45 per hour. Hourly wages will go up to between $16.10 and $17.20 retroactively to October 1, 2024. The pay rates depend on length of service. Workers get an additional $0.75 per hour in pay in a couple of months (April 1, 2025), and another $0.75 per hour on April 1, 2026. The contract expires on March 31, 2027.
There is also language in the agreement that ensures workers wages go up in a calendar year by at least whatever the minimum wage increase is. Currently, the minimum wage in Nova Scotia is $15.20.
A major concern for workers was the long wait for health and dental benefits. The current policy had workers waiting to complete two years of service before being eligible. As a result, only one third of the workforce qualified. The new deal has a reduction in the time of service needed to be eligible. Beginning in January 2026, eligibility is reduced to one year of service, and beginning in January 2027, employees will be eligible after completing probation. The employer will also be increasing their monthly contributions to the workers benefit plan.
“I’m so happy and it’s so great that they will finally be able pay for dental and things like their pills,” said Kalin Baker, who has worked for GDI for six years and already qualified for benefits. “Very happy with it.” The solidarity amongst the cleaners was key in winning this contract.
Concerns about unreasonable workloads were also addressed. While there is an understanding that workloads may change from time to time, the collective agreement now states: “there will be no unreasonable accretion of work to be performed without a commensurate adjustment in the paid time to perform it.”
The workers have also won a pension plan commencing in 2027.
The new collective agreement has many other improvements including stronger and fairer language for job security and pay fairness, better winter jacket policy for outdoor work, improved premium pay, and more.
“I’m glad that we stuck to our guns and got this better agreement,” said Fielding.
GDI cleaners work at nearly fifty properties in Halifax, including the Ferry Terminals, commercial offices like Purdy’s Wharf, malls like the Halifax Shopping Centre and Mic Mac Mall, and government properties like the RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth.
For more information visit www.JusticeforJanitors.ca
SEIU Local 2 represents 20,000 workers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. We are proud members of the largest, fastest growing, and most dynamic union in North America.
*Diego Mendez*
dmendez@seiulocal2.ca
(416) 476-7762
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