Cavendish Farms: Bringing Your Voice to the Table
November 21st, 2022
UFCW Members at Cavendish Farms,
Your Union Negotiating Committee met with Cavendish Farms on November 15th and 16th, 2022. During these meetings, committee members expressed your concerns and frustrations and read out your comments that were directed to the company from the recent survey and provided them copies of all received submissions.
We stressed that the membership felt that some monetary adjustments created an enormous disparity for the members who did not receive one and that the overall wage increases would not cut it.
On Wednesday, November 16th, the company tabled a “Final, Full and Comprehensive Offer for Settlement.” While this offer does not address every issue your Union Negotiating Committee brought forward; it represents improvements from the previous proposal.
Highlights of the final offer include:
- The new rate scale is based on a minimum $1.00 adjustment to all roles, and the job rate increases. Rates and classifications that received no adjustment or an adjustment under $1 would increase to $1, which would be paid retroactively to the contract expiration date. All jobs that received an adjustment of over $1 will remain as previously proposed. These adjustments equate to an additional 4-6% for all members on top of the general wage increases.
- The 2023 rates of pay would begin immediately upon the contract’s ratification. The general wage increases and the rate adjustments equate to an immediate wage increase of at least 13% for all employees.
- Annual wage increases of:
- March 2021 – 3%
- March 2022 – 3%
- Upon ratification – 3%
- March 2024 – 2.25%
- March 2025 – 2.5%
- All retroactive pay would be paid out before Christmas 2022. Retro payments would include the wage adjustments back to the expiration of the contract and the annual increases back to the respective dates. For example, a general labourer employed since the contract expiration would receive approximately $4,000 in retro pay. This amount would increase for anyone with higher rates of pay. All retro payments are subject to statutory deductions.
The majority of all other previously presented improvements remain the same.
The final offer from the company
The final offer from the company was emailed out this afternoon to everyone for whom your union had email addresses. If you did not receive it, please contact your union office to update your address and to get a paper copy of the document. You can also scan the QR code to the right to obtain a digital version. Please review the document thoroughly and direct questions to your Union Negotiating Committee.
Informational Meetings
We will hold meetings to discuss the company’s final offer and answer any remaining unanswered questions. We hold these at:
The Sandman Hotel,
421 Mayor Magrath Drive South
Thursday, December 1st, 2022,
at 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM, and
Friday, December 2nd, 2022,
at 8:00 AM
Ratification Votes
In-person voting will take place at:
The Training Room at the plant on
Tuesday, December 6th, 2022,
Between the hours of:
6:00 AM to 8:00 AM;
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM; and
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Only those with a valid email address registered with the union can vote online. If you cannot vote in person, contact Cam Howey (at 403-328-4245 or by email at chowey@ufcw401.ab.ca) or your union office at 403-328-4245. We will email you a link to a secure online voting system following the close of the votes on Thursday evening.
Online voting will take place on
Wednesday, December 7th, 2022,
from 12:01 AM to 2:00 PM.
After the online voting is complete, we will count the ballots, and the results will be emailed and posted on the union bulletin boards.
This offer represents significant improvements over the company’s previous one, but the choice to accept or reject the offer, as always, remains yours. Your Union Negotiating Committee has informed the company that they will immediately apply for government-assisted mediation if the membership does not accept this offer.
In solidarity,
Your UFCW Local 401 Union Negotiating Committee,
Devin Yeager (Chief Negotiator), Cam Howey (Union Labour Relations Officer)
Jesus Amaya, Troy Araki, David Ell, Keith Gettman, and Mike Joslin
For a printable version of this document, click here.
Posted on: November 21,2022