Cleaners ratify contract averting planned strike

CITYnews halifax / By Dan Ahlstrand

Cleaners represented by SEIU Local 2 have ratified a new contract with GDI integrated facility services in HRM. The deal came as the 300 members were poised to walk off the job Monday, which the union says would have been the first-ever large-scale private sector janitorial strike.

In a release, the union said that workers will see a pay increase of between 50 and 75 cents per hour, with a 75-cent increase in April and a 75-cent increase in 2026. The new contract also includes a provision ensuring that workers’ wages increase by at least the amount that the minimum wage increases yearly. The new collective agreement includes many other improvements, including stronger and fairer language for job security and pay fairness, a better winter jacket policy for outdoor work, improved premium pay, and a pension plan beginning in 2027.

“I think everybody, from people who were bargaining, to everybody who was involved and showed up, and showed that there was support for this, it’s a win for everybody,” said Matthew Fielding, who has been working for GDI for almost 3 years. “I’m glad that we stuck to our guns and got this better agreement.”

GDI cleaners work at nearly fifty properties in Halifax, including the ferry terminals, commercial offices like Purdy’s Wharf, malls like the Halifax Shopping Centre and Mic Mac Mall, and government properties like the RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth.

The contract expires on March 31, 2027