Canadian Labour Reporter

lAboUr brieFs 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 Tentative deal struck between nAv Canada, PSAC OTTAWA — On Nov. 4, the union representing employees at NAV Canada, which oper- ates the country's civil air navi- gation system, penned a new tentative collective agreement. The contract, which expires Dec. 31, 2016, is being unani- mously recommended by the Public Service Alliance of Cana- da (PSAC). Should the collective agree- ment be ratified by members, employees will have the choice of either choosing a two per cent retroactive wage increase for 2014 or a $2,000 lump sum pay- ment. For each 2015 and 2016, employees will get a two per cent wage hike. Other bargaining units at NAV Canada are undergoing changes to their pension plans, and this agreement will follow the same scheme. That means that employees hired after the ratification date will be enrolled in a defined benefit plan of 1.1 per cent per year of service — the employer will bear the full cost of the contributions. All new ongo- ing employees on this plan will be given a $2,000 lump sum pay- ment upon completion of their probationary period. For current employees, there are no major changes to their pension. However, in the event that a member terminates em- ployment before retirement, benefits would not be indexed to inflation for the years going for- ward, between the date of termi- nation and the retirement date. As well, the deal includes improvements to overtime, be- reavement leave, travel premi- ums and the union's social jus- tice fund. Cn, Teamsters union implement new confl ict management mechanism OTTAWA — The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union and the Cana- dian National Railway are im- plementing a new mechanism for conflict management in an effort to avoid strikes and lockouts. Under the new mechanism, both parties will pay predeter- mined amount to charities in- stead of imposing a lockout or strike. The amounts will be paid as long as the parties have not reached an agreement. The TCRC negotiations committee — representing 1,700 CN railway workers — met with the rail carrier's man- agement team on Oct. 28. The union executives proposed the new negotiating process in or- der to reach an agreement that does not include a work stop- page or service interruption. "It is time to change the ne- gotiation template, as the tense atmosphere that hung over the previous talks did not serve any- one's interests," said TCRC presi- dent Rex Beatty. "And if we fail to come to an agreement, my union proposes a new mechanism for resolving conflicts without a work stoppage." Meanwhile, according to the union, normal negotiation pro- cedures are continuing to go smoothly. CN served its negotiation notice and the union has acted upon it. The parties are expected to file a notice of dispute and re- quest the intervention of the fed- eral mediation and conciliation services to aid in the conclusion of negotiations. The current contract expires on Jan. 1. The parties are expect- ed to discuss the use of video surveillance in trains, the griev- ances management process, the right to refuse work and compli- ance with provisions of the cur- rent collective agreement. At the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., a forthcoming policy change could pave the road for the United Auto Workers to become the fi rst union to represent non-members in a right-to-work state. FoRMeRly Clv RePoRTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by omson Reuters Canada ltd. Subscription rate: $595 per year Customer Service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 email: carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Website: www.carswell.com Director, Carswell Media Karen Lorimer Publisher John Hobel - On leave Acting Publisher/Managing editor Todd Humber news editor Sabrina Nanji | (416) 649-9348 sabrina.nanji@thomsonreuters.com news editor Liz Foster | (416) 298-5129 liz.foster@thomsonreuters.com Marketing Co-ordinator Travis Chan | (416) 609-5872 travis.chan@thomsonreuters.com © 2014 Carswell, a division of omson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. 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