Earlier this month, Local 401 of the United Food and Commercial Workers posted an update on their website regarding contract negotiations with Aviscar, Inc.
Also known as Avis Car Rental, the employer is based out of New Jersey, but they have rental locations throughout Canada, including about a dozen and a half in Alberta, 6 of which are in Calgary.
Local 401 represents all Calgary workers within the Rent-A-Car division, except for salespersons, account executives, and clerical personnel. As of September 2022, that was over 140 workers.
These workers have been working without a current contract since their previous contract expired back in April.
The two bargaining teams did not meet to begin bargaining, however, until the 21st of May. They also met during the second week of June to bargain further.
According to the update, the workers’ bargaining team—which includes a mechanic, a utility agent, a shuttle driver, and a rental sales agent—proposed a 30% raise: 10% each year of the new 3-year contract.
The employer, on the other hand, has offered just 1.5% in 2025, 2006, and 2007 for just the workers who have maxed out in the wage grid. They gave these workers 3% in 2022, 4% in 2023, and 3% last year.
Starting wages, on the other hand, would see varying increases, under Avis’s proposals:
| Previous | Proposed | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shuttlers | $15.50 | $15.60 | $0.10 |
| Rental sales agents | $16.25 | $16.50 | $0.25 |
| Rover agents | $17.00 | $18.00 | $1.00 |
| Service agents | $17.75 | $18.00 | $0.25 |
| Utility agents | $18.25 | $19.00 | $0.75 |
| Mechanics | $30.00 | $35.00 | $5.00 |
Starting wages for everyone but the mechanics would still be below $20 an hour. This seems like a good time to point out that the living wage for Calgary in 2024 was $24.45 an hour.
Pay rates would still be below Calgary’s living wage for these workers after they get the new 12-month increases:
| Previous | Proposed | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shuttlers | $16.00 | $16.00 | $0.00 |
| Rental sales agents | $16.25 | $17.00 | $0.25 |
| Rover agents | $18.00 | $18.50 | $0.50 |
| Service agents | $18.25 | $18.50 | $0.25 |
| Utility agents | $18.75 | $20.00 | $1.25 |
| Mechanics | $31.00 | $36.00 | $5.00 |
In response to these offers, the workers’ bargaining team dropped their ask by nearly 6%, down to 24.5%, with 8.5% in the first year and 8% in each of the next two years.
Even with that, the employer’s offer “is not suitable” and “insufficient” according to Local 401, who has promised “to press Avis to improve their offer significantly”.
Avis has offered to increase vision benefits for full-time workers by $75, from $250 every 2 years to $325 every 2 years.
Unfortunately, this will not help most workers, since a majority are part-time. To account for this, the workers’ bargaining team is asking for a $1000 annual health spending account for all part-time workers who has completed at least 2,080 hours. They could use this to cover physio, dental, prescriptions, vision care, massage, and so on.
As far as full-time workers go, their bargaining team is asking for an increase to vision care that is double what the employer has offered: $150, from $250 to $400.
Currently, Avis covers 80% of the cost for the group benefit plan. The workers are asking them to bump that up to 100%.
They also asked Avis for a benefits plan that covers gender-affirming healthcare for their trans fellow workers, up to a lifetime maximum of $15,000 and covered 100% by the employer. The coverage would also include “medically necessary treatments” for non-trans individuals who are also queer, such as mental health support.
The employer wants to implement a matching RRSP programme, which full-time workers would be eligible for after 12 months of employment and part-time workers after 24 months. The union, in contrast, wants a pension plan, the details of which would need to be worked out.
Both parties have offered to increase the footwear allowance:
| Previous | Employer | Workers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental sales agents | $75 | $100 | $150 |
| Service agents, rover & shuttlers | $100 | $135 | $200 |
| Mechanics & utility agents | $100 | $135 | $300 |
The two parties are not scheduled to meet again until next month.
