Rivlin Medical employees sign agreement; Second deal signed for L3 employees
Ecco Heating workers ratify first contract
CALGARY — About 250 workers at Ecco Heating in Calgary voted 96 per cent in favour of ratifying their first collective agreement on Aug. 24.
“Ecco Heating is on its way to becoming a great place to work again, ” says Bernie Haggerty, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters, Local 362.
Staff at the company voted to join the Teamsters in 2019. A new manager had created unsafe working conditions at the plant, instituted a wage freeze and was arbitrarily laying off workers who had spent years with Ecco and replacing them with completely new hires, says the union.
That manager was ultimately fired shortly after workers joined the union, says Teamsters.
The new collective agreement is a three-year deal that does away with any possibility of a new wage freeze, guaranteeing a raise in each year of the agreement. Workers also received an increase in the allowance for safety boots and an increase to their health benefits, says the union.
Rivlin Medical employees sign agreement
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW), Local 102 members working at the Rivlin Medical Group pain management clinic ratified a new union contract on Aug. 24.
The Rivlin employees work as administrative staff and registered practical nurses (RPNs) at the clinic, which provides medical services for managing chronic pain that tends to resist standard pain management, says the union.
Negotiations began in February and focused on securing strong anti-harassment language and respect in the workplace — two major concerns that were raised by the membership during the organizing drive and contract proposal meeting, says UFCW.
Under their new union contact, workers will receive hourly wage increases across all wage classifications in every year of the contract (a $3 rate increase takes effect with ratification), says the union.
New contract for Park Lane Terrace employees
PARIS, Ont. — Employees of Park Lane Terrace, a nursing home in Paris, Ont., voted in favour of a two-year collective agreement on Aug. 20 providing them with wage increases.
The agreement was reached between their union, Grand River Valley Health Care Workers Union, CLAC Local 305, and APANS Health Services. The union has represented the 148 employees at Park Lane Terrace for almost 40 years, says CLAC.
The new contract provides workers with 1.5 per cent annual wage increases over the term as well as improvements to the weekend premium and the introduction of an orientation premium. Employees also maintained sick day pay-out provisions and language regarding dropped shifts, both of which were key priorities heading into negotiations, says the union.
Second deal signed for L3 employees
TRENTON, Ont. — The 51 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local 717T ratified their second collective agreement on Aug. 10 with L3 Technologies MASS, a subsidiary of L3 Harris Technologies.
“This was a long process that started in late September 2019. COVID-19 put a temporary hold on negotiations, but we resumed in April and concluded in July,” says Jim Snider, district 78 business representative.
Highlights of the contract include a two-per-cent wage increase, new premiums for the AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) classification, statutory holiday pay increases, a pension increase in each of the three years and increased vacation time, says the union.
Total monetary improvements in the first year ranged from 3.25 per cent to 4.4 per cent, according to IAM.
