Corrections officers reject similar contract
Civil servants in Manitoba have accepted a two-year wage freeze in a contract very similar to one they turned down in January.
Their colleagues in corrections rejected a tentative agreement earlier in March that included a 1.0 per cent premium in the third year.
The union made it clear prior to the vote that it doubted it could improve on the offer through either negotiations or arbitration.
The master agreement provides job security for current employees and a 20-year step on the wage grid in the third year, as well as 2.75 per cent in each of the last two years of the four-year contract.
Two agreements this week have introduced two-tier wages.
Firestone Textiles in Woodstock, Ont. will drop wages for new employees by $4.00 per hour, with the exception of skilled trades and quality control. Vacation is capped at four weeks for new employees, as opposed to six weeks for current employees, and the company’s contribution to their pension plans is capped at three per cent of salary rather than 9.5 per cent.
The Okanagan Fruit Packers contract, awarded by interest arbitration, reduces wages in most classes from almost $5.00 per hour to over $6.00, but again excluding trades. More contentious is the limitation of bumping to layoffs over 48 hours.
In September, there was a one-day wildcat strike over the issue. Long-service employees unloading trucks were being sent home due to weather conditions while junior employees remained at work under cover.
A new video is available on the Canadian Labour Reporter web site, www.labour-reporter.com. Assistant Editor Zach Pedersen speaks with Prof. Maurice Mazerolle of Ryerson University about the bill banning strikes at the Toronto Transit Commission and whether it will have any impact on other workplaces.
