The Negotiating Committee of Barclays Rehabilitation: Director of Field Services Peggy Kelly, Assistant Director of Collective Bargaining Dan Ross, Jr., Member Daisy Santiago, and Union Representative Jose Echevarria

Please welcome our newest UFCW Local 152 members: the CNAs, Housekeepers, and Dietary Assistants at Barclays Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

These new members from Barclays Rehabilitation and Health Care Center have had a long journey to get to this point. Coming from a facility with absolutely no union representation, these members originally voted “YES” to UFCW Local 152 back in April 2016. After months of scheduling conflicts and other hurdles, our newest brothers and sisters voted unanimously on the contract put forth on May 6^th, 2018, with a vote of 20-0.

Their first contract, a five-year agreement, introduces many new perks for our members that they would not have received without UFCW Local 152 representation. Perhaps most importantly, these members are no longer “at-will employees” and can only be disciplined or discharged for just cause. Next, seniority (length of service) now matters for times when these members bid on jobs, apply for overtime shift availability, accrue vacation time, etc. These new union members will now be provided with a $15,000 life insurance policy, have guaranteed wage increases every year for the life of this contract, and receive free uniforms (shirts and pants) – three things they would have never received if not for the ratification.

In addition to the above highlights, the contract also set groundwork for Call In Pay and a CNA Incentive Bonus. The Call In Pay guarantees either four hours of work or four hours of pay for union members who have not been notified to no longer report to work, helping alleviate costs for members who get to the facility only to learn they are no longer needed for their shift. Similarly, the CNA Incentive Bonus is a weekly (previously biweekly) bonus program already implemented by the facility, now modified in favor of our members.

Congratulations to the Negotiating Committee, which included our own Assistant Director of Collective Bargaining Dan Ross Jr., Union Representative Jose Echevarria, Shop Steward Daisy Santiago, and the rest of the new members at Barclays Rehabilitation!