Canadian Labour Reporter

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a HAB Press business 2019 Laferté employees in Quebec sign new deal SAINT-HYACINTHE, DRUM- MONDVILLE, Que. — United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) Canada, Local 500 members working at Laferté renovation centres in Saint-Hya- cinthe and Drummondville, Que. achieved a new union contract on Sept. 9 that provides better wages and improved work-life balance. Under the new collective agreement, minimum wage rates have increased by 6.25 per cent to 32 per cent and maximum rates will rise by 14 per cent to 32 per cent. As well, the employer has agreed to include part-time em- ployees with limited availabil- ity in the UFCW Québec Dental Plan and will pay $0.18 per hour worked for these employees, says the union. The new contract also pro- vides a work schedule with em- ployees' hours for the following week that will be available before 4 p.m. on Tuesday of each week, says UFCW. The agreement will allow two workers to agree to switch their schedules in the same week with prior authorization from their manager, part-time workers with limited availability can re- quest unpaid leave for up to three days (consecutive or not) from October of one year to March of the following year, not including the holiday period, and eligible regular workers can bank up to 120 of their overtime hours in a time bank and withdraw them in the form of paid leave or trans- fer them to their QFL Solidarité Registered Retirement Savings Plan, says the union. Aboriginal Legal Services workers unionize TORONTO — Employees of Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) in Toronto joined the Society of United Professionals, IFPTE Lo- cal 160, on Sept. 11. "The [Doug] Ford govern- ment's funding cuts has caused undue stress to Ontario's legal aid system. We commend our newest members for organizing and resisting in this climate," says Scott Travers, Society of United Professionals president. The Society of United Pro- fessionals is actively campaign- ing to reverse the cuts to legal aid. The union's leadership and members are working with allies and community groups to speak out and defend access to justice in Ontario, says the union. Aboriginal Legal Services has a provincial mandate and employ- ees work on the front lines navi- gating the justice system to pro- tect the interests of Indigenous people and their rights. The orga- nization has grown significantly over the years due to the demand for Gladue reports. Gladue is a sentencing principle which rec- ognizes that Indigenous peoples face systemic discrimination in the criminal law system. This principle attempts to deal with the crisis of overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in custody through changing how judges sentence, says the union. Lomak employees agree to new 5-year contract PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — An overwhelming majority — 98 per cent — of employees of Lo- mak Bulk Carriers in Prince George, B.C. ratified a new five- year agreement on Sept. 12 after being provided with significant gains in wages and benefits. The new contract provides employees with a 10 per cent total increase in wages over the life of the agreement, with a $500 bonus for all employees in the second year, says the union. In addition to monetary gains, employees will see significant improvements to their benefits, with an increase to employer- paid benefits coverage. Each employee will also receive a new $300-per-year health-care spending account, with incre- mental increases over the life of the agreement, says CLAC. Other gains include the intro- duction of a tool allowance for shop employees, an increase to the work-wear allowance, im- provements to vacation sched- uling language and dispatch scheduling procedures and ad- ditional coverage for medical ex- aminations, says the union. LABOUR BRIEFS FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Subscription rate: $599 per year Customer Service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Email: info@habpress.ca Website: www.labour-reporter.com President Tim Duce Editor/Supervisor Sarah Dobson | (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@keymedia.com News Editor John Dujay | (416) 298-5129 john.dujay@keymedia.com Sales Manager Paul Burton | (416) 649-9928 paul.burton@keymedia.com Marketing Co-ordinator Keith Fulford | (416) 649-9585 keith.fulford@keymedia.com ©2019 HAB Press Limited All rights reserved. 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