USW reaches
agreements
with nuclear
laboratories
CHALK RIVER, Ont. — The
United Steelworkers (USW) has
reached new collective agree-
ments with Canadian Nuclear
Laboratories (CNL) that re-
solve pension issues caused by
the privatization of the former
Atomic Energy of Canada Lim-
ited, according to the union.
About 360 members of USW
Local 4096 work at the CNL re-
search facility in Chalk River,
Ont. The facility operated for
decades as a Crown corporation
before the federal government
decided it would be privatized.
It is now operated by the Cana-
dian National Energy Alliance
(CNEA).
USW Local 4096 members
ratified three-year collective
agreements covering two groups
of CNL employees. One agree-
ment covers 200 office and cleri-
cal workers and the other covers
about 160 utility workers includ-
ing radiation contamination
monitors, labourers and related
employees, said the union.
As part of the privatization of
AECL, the federal government
decided affected employees
would not be allowed to remain
in their federal, public sector
pension plan after 2018, forcing
employees to find an alternative,
according to the union.
The new collective agree-
ments negotiated by the USW
will create a new multi-employ-
er, multi-union pension plan,
known as the Canadian Energy
and Related Industries Pension
Plan. The boards of directors of
the CNEA and CNL are expect-
ed to ratify the pension plan by
Nov. 15.
"Given the privatization deci-
sions made by the federal gov-
ernment, this new plan is the
best-possible alternative," said
said Marty Warren USW On-
tario director.
The new collective agree-
ments ratified by USW Local
4096 members include several
changes to contract language
to protect employee rights and
benefits. The agreement for of-
fice and clerical workers also will
provide wage progressions of
two per cent each year, while the
contract for utility workers in-
cludes total wage increases of 4.5
per cent over 3 years, additional
increases for senior contamina-
tion monitors and a lump-sum
payment of $600, according to
the union.
OPSEU signs
equal pay deal
with LCBO
TORONTO — The union rep-
resenting 7,500 Liquor Con-
trol Board of Ontario (LCBO)
workers has signed a deal with
the province of Ontario to make
equal pay for equal work a real-
ity for thousands of LCBO cus-
tomer service representatives
(CSRs), according to the union.
The agreement arose from a
union complaint to the Human
Rights Tribunal of Ontario by
members of the Ontario Public
Service Employees Union (OP-
SEU). In the complaint, OPSEU
said the LCBO's pay structure
for CSRs in its stores and depots
discriminated against workers
in the female-dominated casual
classification.
"As a result of this deal, more
than 4,000 casuals will be on a
pay grid that takes them to the
top rate earned by full-time per-
manent staff," said Denise Davis,
chair of the liquor board em-
ployees division of OPSEU. "
Details are still to be negoti-
ated.
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