Members at Polar Pak ratify new agreement with numerous monetary and language improvements

On November 5, 2021 the members employed at Polar Pak ratified a 3-year agreement that will include wage increases at the date of ratification of $2.00 per hour for all classifications in all grids. Year 2 and Year 3 will see a 2.2% increase for all employees who have passed probation. There will be no red-circling to any of the above rates.

A new Yearly Loyalty Bonus will be introduced. All employees with five or more years of service will be paid up to $600 dollars in each year of the agreement, in the first pay period of December. Employees with 1 – 5 years of service will receive $400 per year, and employees with less than one year will be pro-rated at $50 per month of service for their first year.

There will be an increase to the Night Shift Premium from $.65 to $.70 immediately and then to $.75 3^rd year of the agreement. All members will receive a $500 signing bonus.

Pension and Benefits

There will be a new member RRSP/DPSP retirement savings plan with the employer to match up to 2%.

A new acupuncture and messuage benefit will be introduced for members and dependents of $200 each per year, prescription eyewear will increase from $200 to $250, safety prescription eyewear up from $150 to $200, compression stocking benefit to include spouse up to $500 combined.

Other monetary and language improvements include:

• Employees will be paid 4 hours for call-ins, an increase from 3 hours.
• A new performance-based incentive will be introduced called a KPI program. This will allow members to earn an extra $50 per month based on performance, fill rates and health and safety.
• Each year members will receive a Costco Membership paid for by the employer.
• Members will receive an additional paid day of Bereavement leave if they need to travel 250 km or more for the funeral of an immediate family member.
• Safety Boots allowance increases from $100 to $125 per year or $200 total once every 2 years
• The maintenance tool allowance will increase from $250 per year to $350 per year.
• Members will be paid to attend grievance meetings when not working. Thirty minutes paid minimum for phone calls and 1 hour minimum to be paid if the member is required to attend the plant.
• The employer will cover the cost of the Chief Steward working on labour relations for the entirety of one day per week.
• The employer will include Union Stewards, the Chief Steward and the Union Rep in any step 3 meeting.
• Each year, upon request of the Union, two employees will be granted time off to assist with Union business for a single block of 6 weeks each.
• There will be a Union bulletin board in each of the 6 locations.
• There will be a trainer incentive introduced to provide that any members who trains another individual proficiently on a job, will receive a premium of $100.
• The employer will count the un-worked holiday hours in the overtime accrual calculation.
• Members will see an increase in the paid floater days from 2 per year to 3 per year.
• Employees will receive and increase in mileage allowance from $.55 to $1.00 per km when required to travel between plants.
• The employer will post one full-time job for every 10 agency workers registered each year in January.
• Members with 20 years of service will receive an extra week of vacation paid at 10%.
• Eight senior employees will benefit from preference of shift. The employer will move these members once a year to a preferred shift within the same job classification.
• There will be a $1000 yearly contribution to the Locals Training and Education Fund.
• The company will pay for half the negotiating committees time during negotiations.
• The negotiating committee language will be expanded to reflect one bargaining unit member from each of the 6 plants.
• The company must submit to the Union, the member’s email addresses wherever possible.
• Members will be paid for a full day if they are required to interview for Jury Duty.
• The seniority lists will be posted in all plants for all workers every 3 months.
• If a new position is implemented the employer will provide the Union with the job description.
• Pay Cheque errors over $500 gross will be corrected within 3 business days from when they are reported to the Company.
• If any vacation request is not responded to within 14 days of receipt by the company, it will be granted.
• In addition to members regular vacation entitlement, based on seniority, a member will be granted up to an extra 4 weeks of unpaid leave, every second year to travel abroad.

Union Negotiating Committee: David D’Souza, Marius Nedelcu. Vijay Samra. Gurpreet Singh, Aseem Vashishat. Union Representative: Tony Nigro

See more negotiation updates from the industrial food sector, including beverage production.

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