Canadian Labour Reporter

Canadian Linen plant workers ratify deal DARTMOUTH, N.S. — Uni- for, Local 1015 Canadian Linen workers in Dartmouth, N.S. voted 80 per cent to ratify a four- year collective agreement on Nov. 26. The term of the new agree- ment for 30 employees, who work primarily as laundry clean- ing staff, is retroactive to Jan. 1, and expires on Jan. 1, 2024, says the union. The gains include wage in- creases: in the first year, workers will get a 5.2-per-cent bump, ret- roactive from the first year, add- ing up to 14.2 per cent over the contract, says Unifor. The new agreement also sees an overall increase from 2.5 per cent to four per cent in the work- ers' DC pension plan with the employer matching contribu- tions and gains in paramedical and vision care amounts, as well an increased safety boot equip- ment allowance, says Unifor. "Members witnessed an un- dercutting of their work through increased hiring of temporary staff in recent years, but the bargaining committee made job ownership a priority," says Paul Farrell, president Unifor, Local 1015. "We managed to address this concern by limiting the per- centage of temporary staff al- lowed in the workplace and by requiring that union dues are paid on their behalf by the com- pany, even though they are not union members." 70 Laroche Foundry workers strike LAVAL, Que. — Employees at Laroche Foundry in Laval, Que. went on strike beginning Dec. 1. The 70 workers are represent- ed by Teamsters, Local 1791. Negotiations between the parties, which began last May, have not resolved the impasse, says the union. "This company is struggling to recruit and retain its employees in a context of a labour shortage," says François Laporte, president of Teamsters Canada. The work contract between the parties ended last May. The members present at the union meeting took a unanimous strike vote a few weeks ago, says the union. Tentative agreement reached at SAQ MONTREAL — A tentative agreement was reached on Nov. 29 between the management of the Société des alcools du Qué- bec (SAQ) and the union rep- resenting about 800 warehouse and delivery employees. The agreement was reached one half-hour prior to the end of The most reliable source of news and insights for Canada's labour professionals www.hrreporter.com/labour/news the truce that had resulted in the suspension of the strike on Nov. 23, says the Syndicat des travail- leurs et travailleuses de la SAQ (STTSAQ), which is also repre- sented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 3535. "We wanted to give negotia- tions one more chance. Details of the agreement will be made public only after the members have had a chance to read it. The union will recommend that it be adopted. A general meeting should be organized sometime next week to ratify the new con- tract," says Joël Latour, president of STTSAQ. Cannabis workers at Burnside Buds join UFCW VICTORIA — Budtenders at Burnside Buds in Victoria are the newest cannabis workers to join the United Food and Commer- cial Workers union (UFCW), Local 1518's growing cannabis division, BC BUD. Workers at Burnside Buds or- ganized a union to improve their working conditions and estab- lish more respect on the job, says the union. The BC BUD division will be- gin commencing negotiations on issues that matter to the bar- gaining unit, as the union has been developing a reputation for improving wages, training, and other workplace issues in the cannabis sector, says UFCW. 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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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