Steelworkers reach first contract with Pastway Planing

Agreement includes wage increases, safety boot allowance

United Steelworkers (USW) members working at Pastway Planing and Wood Preserving in Combermere, Ont., ratified their first agreement with the employer.

The three-year deal includes across-the-board wage increases of 7.5 per cent over the life of the contract as well as improvements to several terms and conditions. Additional raises of up to 16 per cent will apply to some employees on the lower end of the wage scale.

Workers also negotiated their first-ever allowance toward the purchase of safety boots.

The contract — ratified by 70 per cent of union members — includes clauses entrenching terms and conditions of work such as benefits, vacations and seniority rights.

The 58 affected employees joined USW in June 2015. The workers operate a wood planning mill and treatment plant producing pressure-treated lumber.

“Joining the Steelworkers allowed us to engage in real negotiations with the employer to achieve a contract that ensures a workplace that is fair for everyone and that makes real progress,” said Jason Browne, bargaining unit chair for the union members at Pastway.

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