Operating Engineers union offices ratify 3 year agreements

Employees at the three IUOE union offices (comprised of three separate Collective Agreements – Local 955, Health & Welfare Trust, and the Training Centre) have ratified their new three year collective agreements.

This set of bargaining was particularly difficult as the Employer came to the table with significant concessionary proposals in many areas of each collective agreement.

We were told that membership has dropped significantly due to the state of the economy and the price of oil, less members are working regularly, and more members than ever are drawing on benefits and pensions.

The new administration had been given the task of making cost savings and unfortunately that meant bringing some of those measures to the bargaining table.

In the face of it all, the committee remained defiant and strong and managed to stave off the concessions for the most part, only giving up a small amendment on overtime. Overtime had been paid at double-time for all hours worked, now employees will receive time-and-a-half for the first four hours in a week, and double-time after that. 

In exchange we were able to get employees: 

• • • an additional week of vacation after six years of employment and a sixth week of vacation after eighteen years of employment; 
    • a retention bonus added to the collective agreements that pays at least $500.00 and as much as $1700.00 each year;  
    • a Senior Clerk premium of $2.00 per hour;
    • better union representational rights and union representative visitation language;
    • restrictions on temps;
    • shortened probationary provisions; and
    • employees are now entitled to take additional unpaid leaves for personal reasons including bereavement.

Special thanks to the bargaining committee and UFCW Relief-Rep Aaron Goguen for all their hard work!

UFCW Local 401 is Alberta’s largest private sector union, representing more than 32,000 union members working in diverse sectors of the Alberta economy, including the food and beverage production, retail, transportation, and agriculture sectors.

Posted on: June 26,2018