Personal trainers at GoodLife Fitness in Toronto, Ajax and Peterborough have voted to ratify the first union contract in the fitness industry. Last year some 650 trainers in the three cities formed the first fitness professionals’ union in North America. It is part of the Workers United Canada Council and its website says it represents about 100,000 people Canada and a similar number in the US working in fields related to garments and apparel, plastics, auto parts and industrial manufacturing; transportation, warehousing, and distribution, retail, food services, hotels and hospitality, cleaning services. fitness industry and healthcare and social services. No details were released, but Danesh Hanbury, a personal trainer and bargaining team member from Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas club, told Canadian Press found agreement on major issues of paid sick days, unpaid work and what he called “favouritism by management.”
