NEW DEAL RATIFIED!
Victory for Chartwells workers at Acadia! Strike & rally are cancelled.
Updates
Food service workers at Acadia ratified a new collective bargaining agreement on Saturday March 21.
Hours after talks had broken off on Friday March 20, SEIU Local 2 and Chartwells resumed negotiations and reached a tentative agreement. The strike and the community rally scheduled for Monday have been cancelled.
Thank you students, faculty, fellow workers and members of the community for all your support!
Member Voices
Winning better wages was an important goal for us, and we are happy that we achieved that. We didn’t win everything we wanted but what we accomplished will make a difference in our everyday life.
—Debbie Barkhouse, First Cook
41st year in food service at Acadia
One of the most important lessons here is that the only way for working people to make advances, is to rise together and fight for what we deserve – for what our families need.
Now we know how we can achieve more next time we’re at the table.
—Shawn Wagner, Cook
8th year in food service at Acadia
We are grateful for the incredible support we received from students, faculty members and other workers on campus, and even the greater community in Wolfville.
It just goes to show that solidarity can really work and that we need to show up for each other.
—Annette Stirling, Head Baker
34th year in food service at Acadia
Community Support
This incredible victory would not have been possible without the amazing support of Acadia students, faculty, other Unionized workers on campus, and the greater community in Wolfville. THANK YOU!
FAQ
We have been bargaining since November and have even met with a government mediator, but Chartwells still refuses to make us a fair offer. It is the only option left for us.
It is not a decision we take lightly, but at this point it is our only chance of seeing any improvements
The strike begins on Monday March 23.
Chartwells food service workers are the lowest paid workers on campus and need a fair raise. The company pays over half of us only minimum wage. Others make a little more but the most anyone is paid is $20 and change.
We need $1 to $1.50 raise per year over the next three years. This would bring our wages up to between $20 and $24.50 per hour by January 2028. These wages would be comparable to other unionized food service workers on university campuses in Nova Scotia.
We also looking for improvements to our health benefits. We have colleagues with diabetes for example, run out of coverage for their medications before the year is out.
Finally, we are seeking stronger job protections and 1.5x pay on holidays.
No, this is not true and disingenuous at best. When you make $100,000 or more a year, a 2% or 3% raise means another $2,000 to $3,000 (or more) a year. But when you make what Chartwells employees do, a 2% or 3% raise means less than an extra $100 a month. And that’s before taxes. That’s not good enough.
We are only asking for what is fair and comparable to other unionized food service workers in the province.
We are so thankful for all the support we are receiving from students, faculty, and others in the community.
Come to the rally on Monday March 23 (see note at the top of the page).
We know this strike could pose a serious inconvenience to the Acadia community. We hope we can count on your continued support, and that includes respecting a boycott of Chartwells services if we are on strike. It is just like crossing our picket line.
Contact us