Employees at a Guelph-area long-term care and retirement home have secured enhanced vacation entitlements and wage increases totaling up to 8 percent over the contract term through interest arbitration.
A three-member arbitration board issued an award on November 7, 2025, resolving the final outstanding issues in the first collective agreement between Eden House Care Facility and the Service Employees International Union, Local 1 Canada.
The arbitration was conducted under the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act. The employer operates 59 licensed long-term care beds and 21 retirement suites in the rural area between Rockwood and Eden Mills.
Vacation improvements
The board awarded progressive vacation improvements for the bargaining unit of 130 employees. Effective the 2026 vacation year, workers will receive four weeks of vacation after 10 years of service, down from the previous threshold of 12 years. The award also introduces a new fifth week of vacation after 15 years of service.
Beginning with the first vacation year following 2026, employees will be entitled to six weeks of vacation after 22 years of service, a new entitlement under the collective agreement.
Wage increases
For nursing home employees, the board awarded wage increases of 3.50 percent effective July 1, 2024, followed by 1 percent effective January 1, 2025, and an additional 3.50 percent effective July 1, 2025. The award specifies that the personal wellness entitlement is included in the wage grid. Retroactivity had been settled by the parties prior to the hearing.
Retirement home employees received wage increases of 3.50 percent effective July 1, 2024, and 3.50 percent effective July 1, 2025.
Bargaining history
The union served notice to bargain on September 14, 2023. The parties met for negotiations on six dates between October 2024 and April 2025. By the time of arbitration, they had reached agreement on all provisions of the collective agreement except vacation and wages.
The collective agreement term runs from September 14, 2023, to June 30, 2026, and covers both the long-term care and retirement portions of the facility.
Arbitration panel
The arbitration board consisted of a chair and two nominees, with both the union and employer nominees concurring with the award. The hearing was conducted by videoconference on October 31, 2025, with an executive session held before the award was issued.
The board retained jurisdiction under section 9(2) of the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act to deal with all matters in dispute between the parties until a collective agreement is in effect.
The Service Employees International Union, Local 1, represents approximately 110,000 members in Canada, with 60,000 in Ontario represented by SEIU Healthcare. The union describes itself as the largest health care union in North America with 2 million members across Canada, the United States, and Puerto Rico.
The employer is a government-funded facility providing both long-term care services under license and private retirement home accommodations in the Guelph area.
