Canadian Labour Reporter

Welland, Ont. city workers request 'no-board' WELLAND, Ont. — The Cana- dian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 1115 requested a "no-board" report on April 6 from the Ontario labour minis- try, which will kick off a 17-day countdown until the union or the City of Welland, Ont. can initiate a legal strike or lockout. The union is citing the need for improvements to layoff pro- tection and city-proposed re- duction to the STD plan as the major barriers toward a deal at this point, says CUPE. "This is a situation we thought we could avoid by coming to the table with fair- ly modest proposals in this round of bargaining," says Steve Leavitt, spokesperson for CUPE 1115. "Now they are seeking reductions to workers' STD plan at a time when CO- VID-19 cases are rising and the province has just gone into full lockdown, but the vast major- ity of our members are going into the workplace." The union — which repre- sents 78 inside workers for the City of Welland — has been meeting with the city's negotiat- ing team and provincial concili- ator since March 10, says CUPE. The next meeting between the two sides is scheduled for April 19, says the union. New contract for retirement home workers LONDON, Ont. — The United Food and Commercial Work- ers union (UFCW), Local 175 members at Windermere on the Mount Retirement Residence in London, Ont. recently achieved a new collective agreement on April 1. With the assistance of con- ciliation on the final day of bar- gaining, the union negotiating committee achieved an agree- ment with wage adjustments and an additional statutory hol- iday starting in 2023. The new agreement contains language that allows for better vacation selection and removes barriers so employees may switch shifts when necessary. The new contract also includes improved bereavement leave, says UFCW. Wages for members will in- crease by two per cent in each year of the agreement. In addi- tion, most classifications will re- ceive rate adjustments of $0.10 per hour in year two, $0.10 per hour in year three, and $0.15 per hour in the fourth year, says the union. In addition, members will benefit from increased vision- care coverage of $225, up from $200, and a shoe allowance of $70 every two years, says UFCW. The agreement covers 32 full-time employees at Wind- ermere on the Mount Retire- ment Residence. Strike ends with new deal at Coca-Cola CALGARY — Teamsters, Local Union 987 reached a new col- lective agreement with Coca- Cola Canada on April 1. About 268 workers at the Co- ca-Cola Refreshments Calgary plant had been on strike since March 15. Plant workers had been with- out a collective agreement since October 2020 and membership voted 73 per cent in favour of the new agreement, says the union. The new collective agree- ment includes improved lan- guage that will provide employ- ees with a stronger sense of job security with the company and includes: improved language regarding protection from third-party outsourced posi- tions, opportunities for drivers to move into a warehouse role if they are not securing hours for their routes, a nine-per-cent wage increase over six years and an increase in maximum sever- ance from 48 to 72 weeks, says Teamsters. "Our membership spoke clearly that there were areas they wanted improved to cre- ate a successful workplace," says Brock Penner, business agent, Teamsters Local 987. Event Partner MAY 11, 2021 | ONLINE HRD presents a one-day virtual summit that will provide senior HR and wellbeing professionals in Canada with valuable insights on how to support the wellbeing of their workforces – featuring case studies, panel discussions and workshops by HR leaders from top companies. 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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 official or unofficial 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. 2 LABOUR BRIEFS Canadian HR Reporter, a Key Media Canada (HR) Ltd. business 2021

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