Fortinos ratifies
July 19, 2024
Fortinos ratifies new agreement to secure wage increase and language improvements for approximately 7,800 workers

Members working at the 26 Fortinos stores across the province, ratified a new collective agreement at meetings held July 15 – 16, 2024.
Full time workers at end rate or above will receive wage increases of: July 1, 2024 – $1.65, January 1 and July 1, 2025 – 50 cents for a total $2.15 in the first year, July 1, 2026 – 60 cents, July 1, 2027 – 60 cents, and July 1, 2028 – 65 cents. Full- time workers who are active on the payroll on Date of Ratification who are at or above the applicable end rate will receive retroactive payment of .65 cents/hour to the first pay period after October 1, 2023, and within three weeks of ratification a $1000.00 signing bonus.
Part time workers hired prior July 9, 2015 at end rate will receive wage increases of: July 1, 2024 -$1.00, January 1 and July 1, 2025 – 50 cents for a total of $1.50 in the first year, July 1, 2026 – 60 cents, July 1, 2027 – 60 cents, July 1, 2027 – 60 cents, and July 1, 2028 – 50 cents. All part-time at end rate will receive a signing bonus of $500.00 within three weeks of ratification.
Part-time employees who are not at the end rate will be granted a one-time hours credit of 750 hours for wages purposes only at date of ratification, which will allow them to achieve a pay increase and reach the end rate of pay sooner.
Meat Cutter training program will receive an increase of $2.00/hour to start the program, then six and twelve months into the program will receive an additional 50 cents.
Improvements for benefit coverage include:
- Optical coverage for full-time increased to $80.00 from $60.00 for eye exam every twenty-four months. Eye exam and glasses coverage up to a maximum of $300.00 from $200.00 every twenty-four months for the employee and their dependents aged 18 and under.
- Paramedical coverage $70.00 per visit with a 10-visit maximum in any calendar year for $700.00 in coverage effective Jan 1 2025 for full-time.
- Safety shoe allowance will increase for Warehouse and Transport, and Sausage Room employees to $175.00 from $80.00. Employees at the store will receive $150.00 up from $75.00 every 12 months for full-time and every 24 months for part-time.
Language improvements include:
- The employer agrees to hire a total of 100 full time bargaining unit employees on or before December 31, 2027.
- If any increase to the Ontario minimum wage equals in excess of the negotiated end rate wage increase, the employer agrees to add the differential to those full and part-time employees who are at top rate or over-scale on the date the government makes the increase effective.
- Employees presently working 40 hours per week will have from October 11, 2024 to November 30, 2024 to indicate in writing of their intention to work 32 hours in four shifts. To qualify, an employee must be above the age of 50, have 25 years of service and be in a clerk position. Each store will have no less than one employee during the term of the CBA.
- Bereavement improvements include an increase to five days from three days for immediate family.
- New bereavement language includes that workers will have up to three days for extended family.
- Workers may retain one day of bereavement leave for an internment that is scheduled for a later date, within one year of death.
- Stewards will have up to 15 minutes with new employees for the purpose of orientation.
- Employees who are part of the Joint Health and Safety Committee will be provided time to attend these meetings.
- If the employer requires an employee to travel to another store, the worker will be paid 54 cents/km, an increase from 41 cents/km.
- We were able to achieve Leave of Absence language for those who are attending full-time post-secondary school, that states the leave may be granted regardless of which city the full time post-secondary school is in. When the employee returns from the LOA, they will be allocated hours on the schedule minus the time spent on the LOA. In the past, the employee would come back from their leave and have to start as the most junior employee on the schedule.
Union negotiating committee: Maggie Brayson, Maria Circosta, Joseph Colaprete, Frank Curto, Paul Ford, Kevin Hachey, and Gary Sitarz. Regional Director Jehan Ahamed, Union representatives: Liam Aikens-Armbruster, Arlene Robertson, and Mario Tardelli.


Read mote negotiation highlights from across the province here.
Read the most recent issue of Checkout online, or find issues going back 20 years!
Have you moved? Update your address with us.