Workers at four nursing homes in the Windsor chain have unanimously voted to approve a new contract that includes wage and pension improvements.
The new contract includes several key provisions, including:
- Wage increases of $1.95 over three years;
- Comprehensive individual and family health insurance, fully paid for employees with two years of service;
- Significant improvements to dental insurance coverage;
- Increased employer contributions to worker pension plans (further improvements to be discussed in 2011); and
- Creation of Quality Care Committee, giving workers an outlet to discuss and improve resident care.
"This victory comes after a long, difficult bargaining process with our management," said union steward Vivian Lewis, who has been a CNA at Windsor for 10 years. "We would not have achieved such a great outcome without full involvement of bargainers from all of our facilities and strong member support."
One other area of concern for Windsor workers is fallout from the ongoing battle over the state budget. Under terms of the new contract, both parties will be able to reopen and bargain over the impact of any state budget cuts that become law. If the parties cannot agree on how to deal with the cuts, the decision will go to binding arbitration.