The union representing 89 employees at the University of Toronto has ratified a two-year agreement that includes retirement and benefits gains, including gender affirmation coverage.
The agreement includes six retiring allowance packages equivalent to two months of base wages for employees who qualify for an unreduced pension in accordance with the University Pension Plan’s provisions. (U of T, alongside Guelph University and Queen’s University, joined the UPP when it was launched in July 2021.)
It also includes increased coverage for dental care and vision care — including eyeglasses, contact lens and eye exams — as well as enhanced mental-health coverage for psychologists, social workers and psychotherapists.
Read: WestJet, Unifor agreement includes pension, benefits gains
In other news, the union representing 45 employees at East Coast Credit Union in Antigonish, N.S. has ratified a four-year agreement. Workers will now receive six weeks of vacation in their 25th year of service instead of their 29th year and employees will receive five paid personal leave days, including part-time workers.
“The bargaining committee achieved what they haven’t been able to in past collective agreements and that is to include their part-time members [when it comes to personal] time off,” says Darlene McIvor, national representative at Unifor. “Thanks to this agreement, all members now have equal access to personal days.”
The contract also provides immediate wage increases of $1.25 per hour and three per cent in the remaining three years.
Read: Northern Transformer, Unifor agreement includes pension, benefits gains