Ajax, Ont. (990 warehouse, sanitation, clerical employees, mechanics) and Unifor, Local 222
Renewal agreement: Effective Feb. 27, 2019 to Feb. 13, 2022. Signed on Feb. 27, 2019.
Wage adjustments:
Full-time end-rate warehouse/sanitation/lumping employees
Effective Feb. 24, 2019: $0.50 per hour
Effective Feb. 9, 2020: $0.75 per hour
Effective Feb. 14, 2021: $0.75 per hour
Full-time maintenance department employees
Effective Feb. 24, 2019: $2.30 per hour
Effective Feb. 9, 2020: $0.75 per hour
Effective Feb. 14, 2021: $0.75 per hour
Shift premium: $0.50 per hour for employees assigned as lead-hands. $0.40 per hour for employees assigned to afternoon shift; $0.50 per hour for employees assigned to night shift. $0.40 per hour for employees assigned to freezer department or for employees assigned to handle freezer loads. $3 per hour for certified MHE trainers and trainer helpers. $1 per hour for current maintenance employee with electrician licence and 2current maintenance employees with millwright licence. $0.40 per hour for employees on afternoon shift. $0.50 per hour for employees on night shift.
Paid holidays: 10 days, plus 1personal paid holiday per year (unused personal days cannot be carried forward into following year and will be paid out on last pay period of year).
Vacations with pay: 4 hours per month to start, 2 weeks or 4% after 1 year, 3 weeks or 6% after 5 years, 4 weeks or 8% after 10 years. Vacations are not cumulative and any unused time will be paid out at end of vacation year.
Overtime: Time and one-half for all work after 8 or 10 hours per day or 40 hours per week.
Medical benefits: Employer pays 100% of premiums.
Dental: $750 or $1,500 maximum coverage per year.
Vision: Basic benefit: $250 every 24 months, every 12 months for those younger than 18. Additional $500 lifetime for laser surgery. Eye exam: once every 24 months, once every 12 months for those younger than 18.
Weekly indemnity: 66.67% of weekly earning, maximum $1,000 (plan G, 70%).
Sick leave: 4 hours for each month without absences. May be accumulated, maximum 6 days. Unused credits will be paid out in last pay period of year.
LTD: 67% of first $4,500 of monthly earnings, plus 50% of remainder, maximum $8,200.
AD&D: Coverage of 2 times annual earnings.
Life insurance: Coverage of 2times annual earnings.
Pension: On first day of month after probationary period, employee may make contributions into employer group RSP: voluntary employee contributions only with less than 1 year of service; employer will match, maximum 3%, after 1 year of service; employer will match, maximum 3.5%, after 5 years’ service. Employees may also make additional RRSP contributions above maximum that will not be matched by employer.
Bereavement leave: 5 days for death of spouse, child (including stepchild). 4 days for death of sister, brother, parent (including stepparent), grandchild. 3 days for death of grandparent, parent of spouse, son-in-law, daughter-in-law. For justified reasons (military, religious) relating to death of family member, employee may withhold use of 1 day of leave to future date.
Seniority – recall rights: 15months, or period of time equal to accumulated seniority, whichever is less, for layoffs. 90 days if employee accepts position within company but outside bargaining unit.
Call-in pay: Minimum 4 hours’ work or pay at time and one-half regular hourly wage rate.
Probationary period: First 480worked hours.
Discipline: Sunset clause is 12months.
Safety shoes: Maximum $135 per year for CSA-approved footwear.
Uniforms/clothing: Employer will supply all employees with protective safety clothing and devices at no cost to employee. Employer will supply jacket and gloves to employees in grocery department; perishable suit (jackets and pants) and gloves to employees in perishable department; freezer suit (jacket and pants), freezer boots, toque, gloves and balaclava to employees in freezer department; jacket or freezer suit to employees in refrigerated areas of facility.
Tool allowance: Employer will supply all employees with necessary tools, equipment at no cost to employee.
Sample rates of hourly pay (current, after increase):
Warehouse
Start rate: $19
12 months: $20
24 months: $20.91
36 months: $22.05
48 months: $24.15 rising 3 steps to $26.15
Sanitation
Start rate: $15.44
12 months: $17.75
24 months: $21.65 rising 3 steps to $23.65
Lumping
Start rate: $17.54 rising 3 steps to $19.54
Mechanic
Start rate: $33.78 rising 3 steps to $37.58
Clerical (hours)
0: $17
2,000: $18
4,000: $19
6,000: $20
8,000: $20.75
10,000+: $21.50 rising 3 steps to $24.15
All full-time employees in warehouse, sanitation, lumping classification (who did not receive raise when employer increased start rate: in February 2018) will receive $2,000 signing bonus within 2 weeks of ratification.
All full-time employees in warehouse, sanitation, lumping classification (at start rate or who did receive raise when employer increased start rate in February 2018) will receive $500 signing bonus within 2weeks of ratification.
All full-time employees in clerical department (earning between $21.50 and $23.40 per hour as of ratification will move to $24.15 effective Feb. 24, 2019) and will receive $750 signing bonus within 2 weeks of ratification.
All full-time employees in clerical department earning $24.15 per hour will receive $500 signing bonus within 2 weeks of ratification.
Effective Feb. 9, 2020: all full-time employees in clerical department earning $24.15 per hour will receive 2% lump sum.
Effective Feb. 14, 2021: all full-time employees in clerical department earning $24.15 per hour will receive 2% lump sum.
All full-time employees in clerical department (earning less than $21.50 per hour as of ratification) will receive $2,000 signing bonus within 2 weeks of ratification.
All part-time employees will receive $500 signing bonus within 2 weeks of ratification.
(Employee will have option to have employer deposit signing bonus into personal RRSP)
Editor’s notes: Paid education leave: Employer will pay $0.03 per hour per employee into Unifor Paid Education Leave Program to provide paid education leave. Social justice fund: Employer will pay $0.01 per hour per employee for all compensated hours to Unifor Social Justice Fund. Independent medical examination: If employer has valid reasons to question employee’s medical fitness for work, employer can request employee attend independent medical examination that will be at employer’s expense. Tuition reimbursement: $4,000 per year for employees who successfully completed approved course. Hearing aids: $500 every 5 years.
