Better retirement-planning provisions key part of new deal: Unifor
Unifor, Local 9114 members of working at the Prevost plant (a division of Volvo Canada) in Sainte-Claire, Que., voted 73 per cent in favour of the tentative agreement presented by their bargaining committee at a special meeting held on July 22.
“By creating positions reserved exclusively for employees in early retirement and allowing employees aged 57 and over to make themselves available for temporary replacements, access to early retirement will be greatly improved for all employees,” said Francois Gignac, Unifor national representative.
The main non-monetary improvements were made in early retirement. Older members had been calling for access to this type of benefit for years, but the bus assembly line did not really lend itself to early retirement, said the union.
For employees nearing retirement, the collective agreement also makes provision of an annual weekend-long workshop to help employees prepare for retirement, according to Unifor.
Under the new deal, workers will also obtain a salary increase of 2.85 per cent retroactive to July 1, followed by an increase of 2.75 per cent in 2019, and 2.25 per cent in 2020, said the union.
The three-year collective agreement will expire on June 30, 2020.
Other monetary provisions include the automatic acquisition of a personal-leave day, adjustments to the group-insurance plan as of the third year of the contract and an increase in the employer contribution to the pension plan, according to Unifor.
Prevost is the largest manufacturer of buses and luxury motorhomes in Canada. The company has 750 unionized members, said the union.
