The union representing employees at a Blackburn Media Inc. radio station in Wingham, Ont. has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes increased benefits and a flexible work schedule.
The agreement includes an increase for vision care, from $100 to $300 every 24 months, and an increase in paramedical coverage to an annual maximum of $500. The paramedical bucket now also covers naturopaths, podiatrists and speech therapists.
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The agreement also includes a flexible schedule that will maintain a remote working arrangement. “The employees were really excited about the remote work option,” says Gary Lynch, national service representative at Unifor. “They started working remotely during [the coronavirus pandemic] and they wanted to keep that option. This agreement goes a long way to help employee well-being.”
Blackburn also agreed to increase wages by 3.7 per cent in the first year with a 2.5 per cent rise in the two following years.