Canadian Labour Reporter

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 CP, Teamsters ratify new agreement LAVAL, Que. — Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Con- ference (TCRC) at Canadian Pacific (CP) voted 64.7 per cent on July 20 to ratify a four-year agreement covering more than 3,000 conductors and engineers. About 25 workers of the Koo- tenay Valley Railway (KVR) also ratified a five-year agreement by 91.7 per cent, said the union. "Our members demonstrated incredible solidarity during the negotiations and the strike," said Doug Finnson, TCRC president. "Workers won a fair deal from CP. Moving forward, we hope to continue working with the com- pany to improve job conditions and ease labour relations." This comes after a short strike by CP train crews last May. Union officials are now focused on implementing the new col- lective agreement and moving forward with the company, said Teamsters. Fatigue was one of the major issues behind the recent strike. Under the new collective agree- ment, workers will be able to book 48-hour rest periods three times a month instead of only twice. The new contract also ad- dressed other equity issues, im- provements to work rules and benefits, and it provides a nine -per-cent increase over the term of the agreement. Both the main agreement and the KVR agree- ment expire on Dec. 31, 2021, according to Teamsters. Deal reached for Coca-Cola workers in Brandon, Man. BRANDON, Man. — United Food and Commercial Work- ers Canada (UFCW), Local 832 members working at the Coca- Cola plant in Brandon, Man., ratified a new contract on July 19, that provides wage increases and improvements to benefits. "The bargaining committee recommended acceptance of this new deal and the 92 per cent yes vote shows that members agreed this is a good contract," said Martin Trudel, lead UFCW negotiator. Under the new four-year col- lective agreement, members will receive a 6.25 per cent wage in- crease for all job classifications over the life of the contract, a one-time $400 lump-sum pay- ment for all full-time employ- ees, an increase to pension and short-term disability benefits, a higher footwear allowance and a new on-call premium for service technicians, said the union. 98 per cent strike vote by Steelworkers at Shaw Cable VANCOUVER — Members of the United Steelworkers (USW), Local 1944 at Shaw Cable in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, and Langley, B.C., voted in fa- vour of strike action. Eighty-five per cent voted, giving a strike vote mandate over 98 per cent. Despite many days at the bar- gaining table, as well as assis- tance from a conciliator, workers have been without a contract since March 23, said the union. Shaw management is de- manding: elimination of job security; "massive" erosion of members' work; zero per cent annual wage increases, said USW, and it is forcing employees to pay for work devices, it said. "Shaw says they want an orga- nization that is agile and adapt- able; we say this should not be at a cost to our members," said Lee Riggs, USW chief negotiator. "What Shaw really intends to do is to undermine union work- ers' rights, and change the rules by making workers disposable while putting more financial pressure on their shoulders." LABOUR BRIEFS FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by omson Reuters Canada Ltd. Subscription rate: $610 per year Customer Service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 Email: customersupport.legaltaxcanada@tr.com Website: www.thomsonreuters.ca Director, Media Solutions, Canada Karen Lorimer Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Todd Humber Editor/Supervisor Sarah Dobson | (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com News Editor John Dujay | (416) 298-5129 john.dujay@thomsonreuters.com Sales Manager Paul Burton | (416) 649-9928 paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com Marketing Co-ordinator Keith Fulford | (416) 649-9585 keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com © 2018 omson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. e publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. e analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either offi cial or unoffi cial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. Labour Reporter Canadian www.labour-reporter.com LABOUR LENS A driver combs his hair as trucks are parked inside a depot during a nationwide strike in Ahmedabad, India, on July 20. Photo: REUTERS/Amit Dave

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