AAC and union reach agreement in NJ

Union employees at Sunrise House in Lafayette, N.J., on Friday voted in favor of the first contract agreement with American Addiction Centers, which owns the center. According to a union statement, the three-year contract includes pay raises and increased staffing with five new full-time employees.

Lower paid workers will receive a minimum of $12 per hour, and others will receive an additional 25 cents to $1 per hour increase, based on position and tenure. The average pay raise over the contract term equals 20%. Additionally, workers will earn time-and-a-half pay on holidays.

Negotiations also resulted in new security measures at the facility such as cameras and locked exterior doors. Sunrise House contacted the Department of Human Services in New Jersey to begin the process to reopening the center, according to the union. It has been closed since May 23.