Wages, boot allowances, hourly premiums increased: UFCW
Employees at Dr. Oetker in London, Ont., achieved their first collective agreement on Jan. 13 as members of United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) Canada, Local 175.
After meeting in conciliation with a Ministry of Labour officer, the parties reached an agreement that dealt with a number of significant issues the workers at Dr. Oetker wanted addressed. The union negotiating committee achieved a 12-hour continental work week for the workers at the frozen pizza production facility, said the union.
The three-year contract includes increases of $0.60 per hour across the board, including maintenance, in each year of the three-year term. The first raise is retroactive for hours worked since Jan. 1. Sanitation employees receive an initial retroactive increase of $1 per hour. Plus, they also receive two 60-cent per-hour increases in years two and three, said UFCW.
As of ratification, employees with less than one year of service receive a lump-sum payment of $500. Those employees with more than one year of service will receive $600. Shift premium improvements provide an additional $0.10 per hour, to reach a rate of $0.60, for hours worked between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. Employees working nights, between 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., will receive an hourly premium of $0.80, up from $0.70, said the union.
Other improvements provide an increased boot allowance of $150 per year, plus $500 annually for maintenance tools. Bereavement leave now provides three days, instead of one, for the death of a grandparent, grandchild, aunt, or uncle, said UFCW.
