More LifeLabs workers vote yes to OPSEU; NexCycle Plastics workers sign deal
Nestlé workers on strike in Toronto
TORONTO — More than 470 workers went on strike at a Nestlé Canada manufacturing plant in Toronto at midnight May 1 after contract negotiations between Unifor, Local 252 and the chocolate company broke down.
“It’s a sad state of affairs,” says Eamonn Clarke, Unifor, Local 252 president. “We’ve opened the door to precarious work and the company has taken advantage of it, using it to line their own pockets, make more profits and they don’t want to share anything with the workers.”
The workers — who manufacture Kit Kat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties — have been in a legal strike position since midnight on April 30, says the union.
In addition to the classification of temporary employees at Nestlé, members are also seeking better pension contributions, says Unifor.
New agreement for shelter workers
BROCKVILLE, Ont. — The United Steelworkers union (USW) reached a new collective agreement on May 3 with Leeds and Grenville Interval House in Brockville, Ont., ending a two-week strike.
The new agreement was ratified by the members of USW, Local 8327 in an online vote, says the union.
The 20 workers — all women — are counsellors and frontline staff, providing services to both temporary residents and external clients trying to escape domestic violence, says USW.
The two-year deal includes wage increases of one per cent a year, as per the provincial government’s cap on contracts in the broader public sector, and it codifies the workers’ benefits in the collective agreement language, says the union.
The strike began on April 20, says USW.
“We were on site making sure members of the management team were available, before we began our legal strike,” says Kellie Hare, USW, Local 8327 unit chair.
The Leeds and Grenville Interval House staff members joined the union in February 2020.
More LifeLabs workers vote yes to OPSEU
TORONTO — LifeLabs couriers in Kitchener, Thorold, and Brantford in Ontario are the latest workers at the pension-owned, private lab company to vote on May 4 in favour of joining the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).
“These couriers are simply the life-blood of our health care system. They deserve all the safety and protections that come with joining a strong union like ours,” says Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU president.
LifeLabs workers across the GTA, in Simcoe County, and in Timmins, have joined OPSEU over the past year, says the union.
NexCycle Plastics workers sign deal
BRAMPTON, Ont. – The United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) 1006A members at NexCycle Plastics in Brampton, Ont. voted to ratify a new union contract on April 26 after successfully pushing back against “harmful” concessions proposed by the company.
The contract runs until Feb. 14, 2025, and covers 45 workers, says the union.
“The union negotiating committee did an outstanding job in standing up for the membership at NexCycle, ensuring they achieved a fair contract,” says Wayne Hanley, UFCW, 1006A president.
Negotiations were difficult with the company proposing contract language to reduce the bargaining unit scope and make it easier to terminate workers. But ultimately, the workers prevailed, says UFCW.
