THUNDER BAY, ON - After 15 months of negotiations, employees at the Real Canadian Superstore in Thunder Bay, Ontario voted 98 per cent in favour of ratifying a five-year collective agreement with Westfair Foods Ltd. The vote took place on Sunday evening at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay.
"Our negotiating committee put a lot of time and energy into finding a fair and equitable solution for our members," said Paul Docherty, Director of the Loblaws Sector for United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada Local 1000A.
The agreement, retroactive to March 2009, includes wage increases, lump sum payments to all employees, and improvements to language within the contract. The union also ensured no concessions to benefits or pensions.
More than 300 full-time and part-time employees at Thunder Bay's largest grocery retail store will be covered by the agreement. The workers had been without a contract since March 2009 and had voted in favour of a strike mandate on June 13, 2010.
The new contract with Westfair, a part of Loblaw Companies Limited, will expire on March 2014.
