Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. – June 10, 2014 – UFCW Canada Local 1991P is pleased to announce that members at Nutreco (Shurgain) in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec have overwhelmingly ratified a new collective agreement governing their working conditions.

“We are proud of the new agreement we obtained for these workers in the Montérégie region," says Mario Maisonneuve, president of UFCW Local 1991P. "I want to acknowledge the excellent work of the bargaining committee consisting of chief steward Richard Brisebois, and André Messier and Martin Bouffard who were there every step of the way during the negotiations. The result of the vote confirms our commitment to protect good quality jobs."

The new collective bargaining agreement covers approximately 40 employees at the company, which specializes in animal feed products. The CBA provides wage increases between 6.75% and 10.52% over the term. In addition, all full-time employees on the payroll as of July 1, 2014 will receive a lump sum of $4,225.

As well, the combining of new group insurance benefits with those already offered by the employer to workers at its other locations has resulted in significant gains while maintaining the more favourable terms of the previous coverage.

Some of the other negotiated improvements include:

·         Double time rate after 12 consecutive hours of work instead of 13;

·         Meal allowance for employees working overtime increased from $10 (requiring receipts) to $12 (without receipts);

·         Training bonus of $0.45 per hour applicable to all positions;

·         Evening shift bonus increased to $0.70 per hour worked and the night shift bonus increased to $0.80 per hour;

·         Allowance for purchase of safety boots increased from $50 to $170 per year;

·         Third floater day after 5 years rather than 25 years.