Workers at The Gathering Place have ratified their first collective agreement.

Workers first joined CUPE in October 2023, and after over a year of bargaining, the tentative agreement was reached on April 17.

Local president Jon Bennett says they are proud of the provisions in their first agreement, which include improved wages, increased overtime pay, better bereavement and personal leave options, and improved language that enforces worker rights around evolving safety risks in the workplace.

Bennett argues that they now have a “solid foundation” on which they will continue to build.