Baie-Saint-Paul, Que.– August 13, 2015 – UFCW Canada Local 503 members working at the IGA Supermarché G.C. in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec have achieved their first collective agreement.

The three-year contract includes a 2 percent increase in wages for employees at the top of wage scale. Several premiums have been added to the contract, including an extra $0.50 per hour for every supervisor, a $0.50 per hour premium for every hour worked in a top tier, and an additional $1.00 per hour for any employee who fills in for a manager.

Eight new regular positions will added to the bargaining unit and the agreement creates two new categories of part-time employees, classified by availability. As well, working hours will now be allocated based on a combination of seniority and availability. 

Other improvements include:

• The employer will contribute $0.18 per hour worked to the members' dental plan and, if necessary, this contribution will gradually increase to $0.19 per hour worked to ensure that the employer's reimbursement of members' dental care fees remains at 80 percent of the total cost of care.
• Workers will receive five weeks of paid vacation after 18 years of continuous service at a rate of 10 percent of all earnings made during the reference year;
• Employees with 10 years of seniority or more will earn a Christmas premium of 1 percent of their total earnings for the year;
• Workers will be given a $90.00 allowance to purchase safety footwear;
• The contract adds more personal leave days – including more bereavement leave – with a total of 56 hours for regular employees and 32 hours for part-time workers;
• Vacation time will now be based on seniority;
• The employer and workers will equally share in the cost of the members' group insurance plan; and
• A grievance and arbitration procedure has been established to address disputes between employees and management.

"I would like to congratulate the bargaining committee and all of the members at IGA Supermarché G.C. on successfully negotiating their first collective agreement," says UFCW Local 503 President Louise Lefebvre."We are proud to represent and support the new members and we are very happy with the outcome of these negotiations," Sister Lefebvre adds.