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
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.