Canadian Labour Reporter

Paper workers reverse rollbacks in new deal THE PAS, Man — Members of Unifor, Local 1403 at Canadian Kraft Paper in The Pas, Man. ratified a new three-year col- lective agreement on July 28 that will reverse wage rollbacks agreed to in 2016 as part of a temporary arrangement to save the mill. "Unifor members played a pivotal role in the strategy to keep good jobs in The Pas," says Jerry Dias, Unifor national pres- ident. "It was important that the new contract reflect our mem- bers' role in the sustainability of this facility." Highlights of the new agree- ment include a wage increase of 16 per cent over the term of the contract, skilled trades bonus- es, and benefits improvements, says Unifor. John Howard Society workers join CUPE OSHAWA, Ont. — Employees at the John Howard Society of Durham Region in Oshawa, Ont. voted to join the Canadi- an Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on July 23. "We're thrilled to welcome such a strong group of new members, who want to work together to improve their work- place and contribute to the fu- ture of the John Howard Society and its progressive goals," says Kristy Davidson, a CUPE repre- sentative who helped organize the workplace. The John Howard Society is a charitable organization com- mitted to reducing the impact of crime and its causes by pro- viding a spectrum of prevention and intervention programs, says the union. Packaging employees back on job after strike TORONTO — Bottle-packag- ing workers at Rexplas in To- ronto are back on the job as of July 22 after nine weeks on the picket line. The United Steelworkers (USW), Local 8300 members won a fair agreement and a ret- roactive wage increase, says the union. After working through the pandemic, the workers rejected the company's original con- tract offer that opened with a wage freeze. Many of the work- ers make just above minimum wage and commute long hours on public transit to get to work, says USW. The 35 members of USW Lo- cal 8300 — a group that is pre- Subscribe to Canada's indispensable guide to human resources management since 1987 dominantly racialized women — do quality control, packag- ing and shipping. Some have worked for the company for as long as 35 years. They took a stand against the contract offer and began their strike on April 26, says the union. The new deal includes wage increases of five per cent over four years, including a retroac- tive wage increase dating back to 2019 before the pandemic. The workers also won a signing bonus, says USW. Brampton Brick workers get new deal BRAMPTON, Ont. — Em- ployees of Brampton Brick in Brampton, Ont. voted 96 per- cent in favour of renewing their collective agreement on July 16 providing them with wage increases and other improve- ments. The new three-year contract includes guaranteed annual two per cent wage increases over the term. Other improvements include increases to health and welfare benefits, pension, per- sonal safety equipment, and bereavement leave. Another improvement in the agreement is daily overtime, says CLAC. The employees are repre- sented by Construction Work- ers Union, CLAC Local 52. The local has represented Brampton Brick employees since 1968. www.hrreporter.com/subscribe FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.hrreporter.com/labour Subscription rate: $599 per year Customer Service subscriptions@kmimedia.ca President Tim Duce Editor/Supervisor Sarah Dobson | (416) 644-8740 Ext. 330 sarah.dobson@keymedia.com News Editor John Dujay | (416) 644-8740 Ext. 321 john.dujay@keymedia.com Employment Law Editor Jeffrey R. Smith | (416) 644 8740 Ext. 319 jeffrey.r.smith@keymedia.com Business Development Manager Fred Crossley | (416) 644-8740 Ext. 236 fred.crossley@keymedia.com NAUK Subscriptions Coordinator Donnabel Reyes | (416) 644-8740 Ext. 243 donnabel.reyes@keymedia.com ©Key Media Canada (HR) 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, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher (Key Media Canada (HR) Ltd.). KEY MEDIA and the KEY MEDIA logo are trademarks of Key Media IP Limited, and used under license by Key Media Canada (HR) Ltd.. CANADIAN LABOUR REPORTER is a trademark of Key Media Canada (HR) Ltd.. 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 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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