The union representing roughly 435 employees at Ivaco Rolling Mills in eastern Ontario has ratified two five-year collective agreements that include pension and benefits gains.
The agreements include pension improvements to the defined contribution pension plan, with pension contributions beginning earlier upon completion of probation and employer matches of up to four per cent for voluntary contributions. This will bring the total employer contributions to six per cent.
In addition, vision coverage will increase from $400 to $450 and $700 will be added for lifetime for laser vision correction, long-term disability coverage will increase from $1,500 to $1,800 and there will be no per-visit cap for paramedical visits, with reimbursement at 80 per cent.
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The agreements also include a 21 per cent general wage increase over five years, with an eight per cent increase front-loaded in the first year and additional adjustments for trade classifications.
In other news, the union representing 300 janitors at GDI Integrated Facility Services in Halifax, N.S., has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains, avoiding a possible strike.
Beginning in January 2026, eligibility will be reduced to one year of service and, starting January 2027, employees will be eligible after probation. The employer will also be increasing its monthly contributions to the benefits plan. The current policy requires workers to complete two years of service before being eligible for benefits.
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Hourly wages will increase between $16.10 and $17.20 retroactively to Oct. 1, 2024, depending on length of service. Workers will get an additional $0.75 per hour in pay starting April 1 and another $0.75 per hour on April 1, 2026. The agreement also includes a pension plan commencing in 2027.
The union representing employees at F&P Manufacturing Inc. in Tottenham, Ont., has also ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains.
The agreement includes increases in paramedical coverage (from $300 to $400), physiotherapy coverage (from $1,000 to $1,200), dental coverage (from $1,500 to $1,750), orthodontic coverage (from $2,000 to $2,250) and vision coverage for glasses/contact lenses (from $250 to $300).
Employees will see wage increases of 16 per cent over the life of the agreement, with an increase of 11 per cent in year one, three per cent in year two and two per cent in year three. Workers will move to the top rate more quickly with the wage progression being reduced by 500 hours (from 4,500 to 4,000 hours including overtime).
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