Metro workers achieve significant gains, additional full-time jobs in new contract

TORONTO, July 19, 2019 /CNW/ - Metro grocery store workers have ratified a new collective agreement that achieves significant gains, including wage increases and 45 additional full-time jobs.   

"The creation of new full-time positions and protections for e-commerce related jobs in this contract is a real win for our members as Unifor continues to push back against the increase in precarious work in the retail and specifically the grocery sector," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.

The new four-year contract covers approximately 4,000 members of Unifor Local 414 at 27 Metro locations across Ontario. It builds on the historic 2015 collective agreement that saw major improvements to part-time scheduling and wage increases that, coupled with Ontario's last minimum wage hike, grew by as much as 50 per cent in a four-year period.

The new collective agreement includes significant wage improvements for full and part-time workers, the elimination of wage tiers, the creation of new high-wage department classifications, stronger leave and transfer provisions, new full-time job opportunities, and for the first time ever establishes one paid personal day for senior part-time workers, among other gains.

"Retail workers were among those hurt the most when the Ford government took away the minimum wage increase and paid sick days," said Gord Currie, President of Unifor Local 414. "The Bargaining Committee made it a priority to attain tangible improvements during negotiations and that's what they delivered to our members." 

The new four-year agreement will expire on July 16, 2023.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor