An opinion piece on how certain aspects of the Quebec government’s rules and constraints on private drug plans affect pharmacy costs was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. 1. Sounding Board: Why do Quebec’s private drug plans pay higher pharmacy fees? 2. Custodial, maintenance workers at TMU striking over pension contribution increase 3. Half of Canadian benefits providers […]
Roughly 155,000 federal employees represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada are striking over remote working arrangements and wages. The union is seeking to maintain remote working arrangements for employees, noting the working arrangement has become a part of everyday life for many workers. “Our experience during [the coronavirus] pandemic has shown that public […]
Custodial and maintenance workers at Toronto Metropolitan University represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees are striking after university administration failed to address the rising cost of living and issues with increased employee contributions to the defined benefit pension plan during negotiations. In 2021, the university unilaterally imposed an increase in pension contributions on […]
The union representing 70 employees at Northern Transformer in Vaughan, Ont. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement introduces a group registered retirement savings plan and a deferred profit-sharing plan in which the company will provide a matching contribution of three per cent of regular earnings, capped at […]
The union representing employees at Ontario-based flooring company Gesco Ltd. Partnership has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes retirement and paid leave gains. The company will now match all regular employees’ contributions to the group registered retirement savings plan to a maximum of four per cent of their basic annual earnings. The agreement also […]
The union representing around 150 employees at West Fraser Timber in Fort Frances, Ont. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains. The new contract, which is retroactive to Aug. 1, 2022, includes a new maternity leave top-up program that provides new mothers with additional financial support. During the first eight weeks […]
The union representing employees at Burnaby Public Library in Burnaby, B.C. has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes improvements to flexible working arrangements. Members voted 91 per cent in favour of ratifying the new agreement, which includes a nine-day fortnight arrangement — consisting of a five-day workweek followed by a four-day workweek — to […]
The union representing 750 mining workers at Mosaic Potash Esterhazy Ltd. in Esterhazy, Sask. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement includes a .25 per cent increase in employer contributions to the company’s defined contribution pension plan, while members of the defined benefit pension plan will receive a monthly increase […]
The Federal Court has ruled that the termination of long-term disability benefits for employees who become eligible to receive unreduced pension benefits doesn’t amount to age discrimination. The case arose from the terms of a collective bargaining agreement between Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots Association. The agreement provided that pilots were eligible to […]
Trent University support workers represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union are joining the University Pension Plan. Under a new three-year collective agreement, the 460 employees — including administrative support staff, caretakers, secretaries, systems analysts and teaching assistants — will transition from the university’s defined benefit pension plan to the UPP in January 2025. […]