Vale tentative agreement includes retirement benefits for new hires
The union representing more than 2,400 striking workers at Vale has released some details of a tentative agreement members will be reviewing Tuesday.
Negotiators for Steelworkers Local 6500 say they are unanimously recommending members accept the five-year agreement. The contract includes retirement benefits for new hires, a key sticking point in the labour dispute.
"After two weeks of challenging negotiations, your bargaining committee believes we have achieved this objective," said a post on the union's website.
"This tentative agreement includes significant monetary improvements for existing members and preserves retiree health benefits for all future hires."
It also includes wage increases of 1.5 per cent in the first and last year of the deal, with one per cent increases in years 2-4. Members would also receive a $2,500 "recognition payment" to recognize members' "efforts last year during the pandemic and the acceptance of a status quo contract."
A signing bonus of $3,500 would be paid 30 days after the agreement is ratified.
Workers rejected the last contract offer from the company at the end of May, which was also recommended by the bargaining committee.
Workers were praised for taking a "principled" stand to protect the retirement benefits for future employees, and the bargaining committee said it "energized" them to strike a better agreement.
"Your bargaining committee is positive we could not have reached this settlement without your incredible support and the principled stand you took throughout this difficult process," the union said Tuesday.
"We believe this tentative agreement is worthy of your USW Local 6500 solidarity and values and we are unanimously recommending ratification."
The union is holding information sessions Tuesday on the new contract offer. Three meetings are scheduled – at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. All meetings will be held on Zoom, as well as at Steelworkers Hall.
Members who attend the meetings in person are being reminded masks are mandatory, and a maximum of 260 people can be in the hall, because of COVID-19 restrictions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.