Montreal – August 7, 2014 – UFCW Canada Local 500 members at Maxi & C^ie in Repentigny have unanimously approved a new collective agreement. The collective agreement was signed on July 15, and runs until June 2021.

The new collective agreement came into effect a few weeks after the official re-opening of the store, on June 12, 2014. Major improvement work had begun earlier this year in converting what had been a Loblaw store into a Maxi & C^ie store. Since the conversion, customer traffic and sales have been strong, current jobs have been secured and 25 new positions have been created.

Concerning wages, employees have made significant gains since salary increases started applying as early as in July, whereas the previous union contract was scheduled to expire on September 25, 2014. This clause includes, in particular, 2% increases for all employees who are on top of their salary range and have reached at least 500 hours worked.

The new contract also contains other improvements, including:

• Any employee who stands in for a department manager specifically upon the employer’s request during at least an entire week shall receive $50.00 a week while retaining all of her or his union contract rights and privileges;
• The night premium increases to $1.10 per hour worked while the collective agreement in is effect;
• A $0.50 premium per hour worked shall be paid to all SAP operation assistant managers;
• There is now a $0.60 ‘‘in-charge’’ premium per hour worked;
• The employer’s contribution to the Canadian Commercial Workers Industry Pension Plan (CCWIPP) increases to $0.80 per hour worked while the collective agreement is in effect;
• The employer’s contribution to the Régime de soins dentaires des membres des TUAC du Québec (‘‘dental plan for UFCW members in Quebec’’) remains at $0.18 per hour worked but may be increased to $0.19 per hour worked if the hourly contribution proves to be insufficient by the scales that are stipulated in this dental plan.

‘‘I would like to congratulate all members of the bargaining committee, thanks to which this new collective agreement was gained. The new contract shows that collective bargaining is the best tool when it comes to helping keep and create jobs’’, says UFCW Canada Local 500 President Antonio Filato.