Steelworkers union members at IMT Defence earn victory on wage equality
2024年7月31日 - 11:15PM
Following a nine-week strike, more than 200 members of the United
Steelworkers (USW) union have achieved a significant victory on
wage equality at IMT Defence in Ingersoll.
The workers, who were on strike since June 3, voted
overwhelmingly to ratify a new, four-year collective agreement. The
highlight of improvements made in the new contract is the
elimination of a two-tier wage system that discriminated against
new hires and existing workers with limited seniority.
“This is a great day for our members who stuck
together, 24 hours a day, for the last nine weeks,” said Jay
McDonnell, president of USW Local 2918, which represents the IMT
workers.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the solidarity that
our members showed. They were committed to the principle that
everyone should be treated equally on the job,” McDonnell said.
Under the previous, two-tier wage system, IMT paid
new hires about 25% less than senior workers – a wage disparity of
up to $8 an hour. Workers hired under the two-tier system were kept
in a different category and could never achieve the rate of pay
earned by senior workers.
“This new agreement establishes a single, six-year
wage progression to cover all our members. Wage adjustments will be
phased out immediately so that all members now have the opportunity
to earn the maximum wage,” McDonnell said. “The two-tier wage grid
is something that members believed would be permanent but we fought
back and we are now going to be treated equally.”
The new contract includes a general wage increase
of 9% over four years. However, “some of our members will
immediately receive significantly higher increases, amounting to
several thousand dollars a year in some cases,” he noted.
“This is an agreement for the future,” McDonnell
said, adding the wage improvements will help IMT to retain and
recruit workers. He noted that more than half of the existing
workers have one year of seniority or less. “This membership is
stronger than ever, our membership now knows what solidarity
means.”
“The turnover rate over the last four years was
over 70%. The company would advertise for jobs with the top wage
rate, but then people would get here and find out they could never
get to that pay level.”
The new contract also creates a new work shift
intended to eliminate mandatory overtime and to entice workers to
accept steady weekend work, in order to meet the employer’s
staffing needs. The new category calls for two 12-hour shifts, paid
at time-and-a half on Saturday and double-time on Sunday, for the
equivalent of 42 hours of pay. Workers on this shift will then have
Monday to Friday as days off.
The contract pays each union member a $1,000
signing bonus and provides improvements to benefits, shift premiums
and safety boot allowances.
“This is a significant victory for the workers at
IMT Defence, who know the value of their work and who were willing
to fight for fairness and better working conditions,” said Myles
Sullivan, Director of USW District 6 (Ontario and Atlantic
Canada).
“The skills and the hard work that these USW
members bring to their jobs every day represent – by far – the
single, largest contribution to the company’s success. They have
earned every one of the improvements to their contract,” Sullivan
said.
IMT Defence manufactures military projectile bodies
and vehicle systems for defence purposes.
About the United Steelworkers
union:
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every
economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector
union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United
States and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the
USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating
healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating
better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good
wages, benefits and pensions.
Contacts:
Myles Sullivan, Director, USW District 6 Director,
416-243-8792Jay McDonnell, President, USW Local 2918, 519-852-9061,
jay267mcdo@hotmail.comLorei Leigh De Los Reyes, USW Communications,
416-544-6009, ldelosreyes@usw.ca