Sharon Teare is president of the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions. (Image: CUPENB/Twitter)
Thousands of nursing home workers in New Brunswick have voted to ratify a new tentative agreement.
More than 4,400 CUPE members voted on the new six-year contract over the past two weeks.
The New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions, which represents the workers, says 45 of the 51 locals voted to accept the agreement.
President Sharon Teare said they will work with the six nursing homes which rejected the deal to determine what the next step will be.
Teare said despite the ratification of the deal, it does not fix all of the working condition issues in their field.
“We will continue to push the government on being accountable to the Letters of Agreement to address the increased acuity of care with every home and increase direct care hours,” said Teare in a statement.
“Decades of underfunding, understaffing, poor working conditions reveal how we need an overhaul that goes beyond bargaining. This will be an election issue.”
The tentative agreement was reached in late May following months of negotiations between the two sides.
In a statement at the time, Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard said she was always confident a negotiated settlement could be reached.
The workers include licensed practical nurses, resident attendants, cooks, laundry attendants and office clerks. Their last contract expired in late 2016.
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