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Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2019
Loblaws
Distribution
Centre
workers sign
AJAX, Ont. — Unifor mem-
bers at Loblaws Ajax Distribu-
tion Centre in Ajax, Ont., rati-
fied a collective agreement on
Feb. 27 that improves working
conditions and wins back the
cuts of Bill 47, said the union.
"When Premier (Doug) Ford
plotted with corporate lobby-
ists like Galen Weston to attack
workers' rights, Unifor members
pledged to bargain back decent
work," said Jerry Dias, Unifor na-
tional president.
"Warehouse workers in Ajax
did just that. They organized
through their union to raise
standards while facing a com-
pany that notoriously opposes
worker's rights," said Dias.
About 1,000 workers, mem-
bers of Unifor, Local 222, signed
the three-year collective agree-
ment, said the union.
The new gains include wage
increases for all workers, equal
pay for equal work for part-time
and clerical workers and new 96-
hour notice for shift changes and
cancellations, said Unifor.
Major issues specific to the
workplace were also resolved
including an improved dis-
ciplinary process, better job
ownership, signing bonuses
and the establishment of a joint
diversity inclusion committee to
proactively address racism and
discrimination in the workplace,
according to the union.
Mediator
appointed in
CRA, PSAC
contract talks
OTTAWA — The Federal Pub-
lic Sector Labour Relations and
Employment Board named a
federal mediator on Feb. 27
to assist in talks between the
Public Service Alliance of Can-
ada (PSAC)-Union of Taxation
Employees (PSAC-UTE) and
the Canada Revenue Agency
(CRA).
The board's decision follows
PSAC-UTE's declaration of
bargaining impasse in January,
after many frustrating months of
stalled negotiations, said PSAC.
The PSAC-UTE bargaining
team is now in the process of
reaching out to the mediator to
set dates for the next bargaining
session, said the union.
Since bargaining began eight
months ago, key member pri-
orities are protections against
excessive term employment,
protections against the expan-
sion of shift work, new rights for
employees scheduled to work
evenings, increased work-life
balance, improved conditions
for call-centre workers and fair
wage increases that keep up with
inflation, said the union.
University
College of the
North workers
ratify deal
THE PAS, Man. — Manitoba
Government and General Em-
ployees' Union (MGEU), Local
69 in The Pas, Man., and Local 70
in Thompson, Man., members
working at the University Col-
lege of the North ratified a new
four-year agreement on Feb. 20.
In fall 2019, MGEU and other
unions will challenge Bill 28 in
court and it included a caveat
which addressed the restrictions
imposed by the Bill, limiting the
parties' ability to negotiate free-
ly, said the union.
Highlights of the agreement
include improvements to fam-
ily-related leave, sick leave and
bereavement leave, as well as
averting some major conces-
sions involving reducing wages
and significant changes in hours
of work, said the union.
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People walk in a deserted street during a strike called by a Kashmiri traders association against the ban on
a Kashmir-based Islamist political party called Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), in Srinagar on March 5.
