Montréal – May 21, 2013 – UFCW Canada Local 500 is happy to report that a new collective agreement has been signed at IGA in Varennes. Following a vote that was held at a general meeting on March 25, 2013, the employees at this food market adopted the agreement-in-principle to which their bargaining committee had come. The new seven-year collective agreement that Local 500 and the employer concluded, which is basically a renewal of the previous one, has officially been adopted and will apply until April 2020.   

The agreement, which is already in force since the moment when it was signed, on May 10, 2013, provides that wages will increase by 2% on average for the employees who are at the top of the salary range. Moreover employees who are currently going up through the pay scale will keep on getting a raise every 650 hours or six months they work.

As for what has been gained, employees and their families (spouses and dependents) get an increase of the contribution that the employer is required to pay toward the 80% refund for dental care. ‘‘Created on January 1, 1975, UFCW dental plan is undoubtedly one of the greatest aspects that make our union famous. Up to this day, almost 40,000 members in Quebec contribute to the dental plan, which thus allows upwards of 50,000 people to enjoy what this plan has to offer’’, says Local 500 President Antonio Filato.  

Other improvements have been made to the collective agreement, especially the following:

• A bonus for certain classifications

• An increase in the Christmas bonus

• An increase by which sick time goes from 40 to 56 hours during the time of the agreement

• A fifth week of vacation

• The creation of regular positions