New Deals for Steelworkers in St. Catharines, Welland

ST. CATHARINES and WELLAND, May 27, 2014 /CNW/ - United Steelworkers (USW) members at two manufacturing plants in the Niagara Region have successfully negotiated new, three-year collective agreements with their employers.

USW members employed at Johnson Matthey Precision Castings in St. Catharines have a new contract that will provide wage increases totalling more than 5.75 per cent over the agreement's three-year term.

The new agreement also includes improvements in benefits, pensions, shift premiums and a $1.65 hourly increase to the entry-level wage for new workers in addition to the general wage hikes.

USW members employed at PanAbrasive Inc. in Welland have negotiated a new collective agreement providing total wage increases of more than 5.25 per cent over the term of the contract.

The new agreement also provides a 20-per-cent increase in the company's contributions to the employees' retirement savings plan, benefit improvements and stronger contract language on workers' rights.

Each agreement was ratified overwhelmingly by USW members at the respective plants.

"I commend our members for negotiating fair collective agreements that meet their needs and that strengthen manufacturing jobs in their communities, now and into the future," said USW Ontario Director Marty Warren.

"Over the last several years our members have been asked by their employers to share in the pain of the economic downturn," said USW Staff Representative Frank Arcuri. "This year our members asked to share in the profits and through their bargaining committees they achieved agreements providing improvements that they earned."

SOURCE: United Steelworkers (USW)

Marty Warren, USW Ontario Director, 416-243-8792, [email protected]; Frank Arcuri, USW Staff Representative, 905-545-3008, ext. 225, [email protected]; Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, [email protected]