Interfor workers in the Sault agree to deal with 27.6% wage hike over five years
In Sault Ste. Marie over the weekend, 100 members of Unifor Local 1359 voted 80 per cent in favour of a new five-year collective agreement with Interfor, covering its I-Joist mill.
Interfor is an international forest products company with operations across North America. In the Sault, it was formally known as EACOM. Interfor purchased EACOM in February.
Union officials said workers are satisfied with the new agreement.
“As indicated by the strong ratification result, our Sault Ste. Marie members were very pleased with the solid gains secured in this new collective agreement,” Stephen Boon, Unifor national representative, said in a news release Monday.
“This deal provides long-term stability for Interfor while providing our members with some of the largest monetary increases in the forestry sector in several decades."
Mary Casola, Unifor Local 1359 vice-president, said the deal will help members cope with rising costs.
“This new deal clearly achieved our objectives for bargaining and most importantly, it provides much improved contract language and major monetary gains that will help address the high cost of inflation impacting our members,” Casola said.
And Cathy Humalamaki, Local 1359 president, praised the work of the bargaining team.
“I wish all the best to our members and their families for the upcoming Holiday season and I am sure the many gains achieved in this new deal will contribute to an even more festive celebration for our forestry members as we enter 2023," Humalamaki said.
The new contract is retroactive to May 16, 2022 and remains in place until May 15, 2027. Terms of the deal include up to 27.6 per cent increase in top production wages over the term of contract and up to 26.4 per cent increase in licensed millwright wages with top trades pay reaching $48.90 in the final year of deal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.