Steelworkers
ratify contracts
in Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE, ONT. — The United Steel-
workers (USW) Local 4610 recently ratified
two new contracts in Cambridge, Ont.
Job security and apprenticeship pro-
grams were highlights of the agreements
reached for nearly 550 workers in the area.
The affected workers are employed at Frito
Lay, now owned by PepsiCo Canada. Of the
affected workers, 500 work in the plant to
make chips and snacks while 43 are em-
ployed as transportation workers.
The contracts will run from Jan. 3, 2016,
to Jan. 2, 2021.
Plant workers gained improvements to
their pension and benefit plans as well as
wage increases of 10.75 per cent over five
years. The agreements also include an ap-
prenticeship program that will provide
opportunities for enhanced job security
and vacation flexibility. Transportation
workers gained a pension
increase ex-
ceeding 10 per cent over five years as well as
improvements to wages and benefits.
"It's very forward-looking of our mem-
bers at Frito Lay," said USW Ontario direc-
tor Marty Warren. "They initiated early
bargaining recognizing the potential for
significant capital investment by the com-
pany in its Cambridge operations in the
near future."
Number of people
contributing to
RRPs virtually
unchanged: Report
OTTAWA — The number of Canadians
contributing to registered pension plans
(RPSs) has gone virtually unchanged in re-
cent years, according to Statistics Canada.
In a report released on July 22, the national
statistics agency noted more than six million
workers were enrolled in a registered pen-
sion plan in 2013, little changed from 2012.
Participation in public sector plans ticked
up slightly by 0.2 per cent, while the number
of those with a private sector plan declined
0.2 per cent.
On the upswing in 2013 was hybrid or
composite pension plans, with more than
746,000 employees subscribing to such
programs, an increase of two per cent from
2012.
Women represented 62.8 per cent of
membership in public sector plans and 35.9
per cent in the private sector, down 0.5 per
cent from 2012. However, male and female
membership remained fairly equal in 2013,
at 3.1 million.
The overall pension coverage rate was
37.9 per cent in 2013, down from 38.5 per
cent in the previous year. That amounted to
$66.7 billion in employer and employee con-
tributions.
Excluding such liabilities, employers con-
tributed 61.4 per cent and employees made
up the remaining 38.6 per cent.
Statistics Canada compiled data via its
Pension Plans in Canada Survey.
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