On Friday, July 24, approximately twenty dining service workers at Healthcare Services Group working at Aspen Hills Healthcare Center and Buttonwood Behavioral Health Hospital ratified their first union contract! Congratulations!
Road to Unity
In March 2025, workers at Aspen Hills and Buttonwood reached out to UFCW Local 152’s organizing department, seeking guidance to form a union at their facilities. By late April that same year, the union was formally recognized by the Company and shortly thereafter, contract negotiations began.
However, because the workers in dining services are employed by a third-party employer and not the healthcare centers themselves, they needed to negotiate a separate but similar contract.
First Contract
With the newly ratified contract, the dietary workers at Aspen Hills and Buttonwood will receive an immediate, across-the-board wage increase. These new members are also guaranteed wage increases annually for the duration of the three-year contract.
All workers will now receive ancillary benefits, including vision, life insurance, and prepaid legal benefits — three items they never had before — at no cost to these new members. Paid Time Off (PTO) was increased significantly, with the option for workers to cash out or carry over a significant portion at the end of the year. Finally, uniforms are now guaranteed in the new contract.
In addition to these great, negotiated achievements, and perhaps most importantly, all workers at Healthcare Services Group are no longer at-will employees! This means our new members can no longer be disciplined or terminated without just cause. Members also gained a new, three-step grievance and binding arbitration procedure, creating a very effective form of problem resolution.
“Congratulations to our new members at Health Care Services for ratifying their first union contract,” said President Ross. “A first union contract is the building block for future success and Local 152 is honored to represent you. Welcome to the Local 152 family!”
Committee
Congratulations to the newest UFCW Local 152 members! This great first contract would not have been possible without the union negotiating committee, consisting of Bargaining Representative Chad Brooks, Director of Field Services Peggy Kelly, Union Representative Dana Belton, and committee member Jaimiesse Martinez-Diaz. Great job!
Why not you?
Are you interested in learning more about how UFCW Local 152 can help you and your coworkers? Learn how to start a union or email Director of Organizing Mike Thompson at mthompson@ufcwlocal152.org today!
