ST. CATHARINES, ON – Food service workers at Brock University, members of Local 1295 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1295), yesterday ratified a new three-year collective agreement with their employer, Sodexo.
“It wasn’t easy and there were certainly some difficult moments along the way but our members demonstrated that you can make gains by standing together and working collectively,” said Shane Jenkins, President of CUPE 1295.
Yesterday’s ratification vote came on the heels of an intensive bargaining session late last week.
The agreement ratified yesterday includes, among other things, improvements to scheduling language and modest wage increases.
“Our members sent a clear message to Sodexo that we were not prepared to be bullied into accepting concessions. That message was clearly received by Sodexo’s bargaining team, which removed the concessions and got serious about bargaining after they saw how united our members were,” said Jenkins.
He added that the agreement would have been far harder to reach had it not been for the “overwhelming displays of solidarity” shown by other campus unions, students and the broader Brock University community.
CUPE 1295 represents maintenance, trades and foodservice workers at Brock University.
For more information, please contact:
Shane Jenkins
CUPE 1295 President
289-969-1191
Kevin Wilson
CUPE Communications
416-821-6641
