TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2017 /CNW/ - Unifor members at Bell Craft in Ontario and Quebec have ratified a new four-year collective agreement.
"This was a difficult negotiation," said Unifor National Representative Alain Portelance. "I'm proud of our bargaining team for working so diligently to achieve both wage increases and job security protections."
Unifor represents more than 3,800 Bell Craft technicians covered under the agreement that will expire on November 30, 2020.The new contract was reached following months of bargaining, which involved the personal intervention of Unifor National President Jerry Dias with senior Bell management.
"I'm glad that we were able to bring Bell back to the table to negotiate a fair contract," said Dias. "Unifor members are committed to delivering outstanding service to Bell customers and we are pleased that their commitment, hard work and quality service are recognized in this contract."
The negotiated benefits of the new contract include work jurisdiction language that protects jobs, third party adjudication for sick leave disputes, and wage gains in each year of the agreement. Wages will improve by 1.75% retroactive to December 1st, 2016 and then by 1.75%, 2% and 2% in the following years. Unifor also negotiated an agreement for Bell to begin contributions to the Unifor Paid Education Leave Program, which supports union-developed and union-delivered courses.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers in every sector of the economy. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged.
SOURCE Unifor
please contact Unifor Communications Representative Kathleen O'Keefe at [email protected] or 416-896-3303 (cell).
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