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INGERSOLL – Nine weeks after walking off the job, about 200 workers at a defence industry supplier will return to work after reaching a new four-year deal.
The union is calling the new collective agreement a “significant victory on wage equality” at IMT Defence, – a manufacturer of projectiles and vehicle systems – after 79 per cent of the 208 members of United Steelworkers Local 2918 voted in favour of the contract Tuesday evening.
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Following a 98 per cent strike vote on June 3, the union said it succeeded at eliminating the company’s two-tier pay structure that “discriminated against new hires and existing employees with limited seniority.”
“I’m very happy with this and it’s building for the future,” said Jay McDonnell, president of the local who has worked at the Ingersoll plant for 13 years. “This is going to help all future members in this local succeed and make a living wage.”
Under the previous agreement, new hires were paid about 25 per cent less than senior workers, amounting to a wage disparity of $8 an hour, and they couldn’t achieve the pay rate of senior employees, the United Steelworkers said in a release.
The new agreement includes a six-year wage progression for all members so each employee will have an opportunity to earn the maximum wage, plus a general wage increase of nine per cent over four years, a $1,000 signing bonus and improved benefits, the union said.
A weekend work schedule with two 12-hour shifts equalling 42 hours of pay also has been added. The shift eliminates the need for mandatory overtime while enticing workers to accept steady weekend work while meeting IMT’s staffing needs.
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IMT said in a statement the agreement ensures a “bright future” for company and employees.
“While it’s regrettable that our bargaining partners decided to take eight weeks to get a deal that could have been achieved in good faith without disruption, it’s positive for all involved that this unnecessary distraction is now behind us.”
McDonnell said he couldn’t prouder of the solidarity showed by union members and the commitment “to the principle that everyone should be treated equally on the job.”
The last time workers walked off the job was in 2005 when they were on strike for 13 weeks.
Workers are set to return to work on Aug. 12 due to a regular shutdown next week.
bwilliams@postmedia.com
@BrianWatLFPress
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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