Metro members in the North ratify significant wage gains and more

Members working in Metro stores located in North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie have secured a new collective agreement which includes the largest wage increase in the history of this agreement.

• Full-time employees at the end rate will see an increase of $2.15 per hour as of ratification and a total increase of $4.60 per hour over the term of the agreement.
• Part-time employees continue to have the protection of a Minimum Wage Plus (MW+) grid that ensures their rates always stay ahead of the provincial minimum wage. In this agreement, the end rate for part-time workers increases to MW+ $2.25 per hour.
• Pharmacy Assistants will see their end rate improve by $3.15 per hour as of ratification, with a total of $5.60 in increases over the term of the agreement.

Members also receive a signing bonus of $1,500 for full-time, $1,000 for end-rate part-time, and $500 for non-end-rate part-time. Members will also benefit from the addition of a new Deli Chief Clerk position.

A new shift premium provides $1 per hour over the employee’s regular rate for bookkeeper coverage. Manager coverage premiums increase to $50 per week, and the opening/closing premiums will increase to $3 per hour.

Employer contributions to the full-time employees’ pension plan increase by $1 per hour in 2027 and in 2029.

In terms of health and welfare benefits, optical coverage for both full and part-time improve to $400 per 24-month period. Physiotherapy coverage increases to $500 per year with no per-visit maximums, and visits to Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Naturopaths are now covered to an improved combined maximum of $500 per year. Members will also benefit from an improved safety footwear allowance of $150 per year for both full and part-time employees.

The ratified Metro Northern Master agreement covers approximately 300 UFCW Locals 175 & 633 members currently.

Union Negotiating Committee: Scott Gaboury, Nicole Hotte, Andrew Kisby, Chloe McCulloch, Marissa Spina, Rachelle Vanderloo, and Union Representatives Jeff Barry, Jim Hames, and Peter Wasney.

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