Last month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the November 2024 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In November, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 20 private sector and 11 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 2,841 and 4,096 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for about 70 workers employed by Canadian Linen & Uniform Service.
These workers are represented by Local 987 of the General Teamsters.
Based out of Toronto, Canadian Linen is one of the largest uniform rental and linen supply companies in North America, with over 100 locations throughout Canada and the United States, including a plant in southeast Calgary.
The workers at the Manilla Road facility represented in this contract include everyone except office workers, sales workers, engineer maintenance workers, and those working in supervisory roles.
To be more specific, they are washer operators, dryer operators, shippers, hoist operators, dock workers, wash aisle workers, mat rollers, linen control, counters, stockroom clerks, embroiders, and bundlers.
The previous contract for the workers expired at the end of 2023. The new contract was ratified less than 5 months later, in May 2024; although Mediation Services only recently received a copy.
According to the bargaining update, these workers are set to get wage increases in each year of the new 4-year contract, which expires in December 2027.
| Bed In Box | |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2024 | 6% |
| 1 January 2025 | 6% |
| 1 January 2026 | 3% |
| 1 January 2027 | 3% |
Over the course of the new contract, these workers will receive a combined wage increase of 18%, or 19.2% if you account for compounding increases.
That averages out to 4.5% (4.8%) per year.
This is better than their last contract, which gave them a wage freeze in their first year, followed by 1.5%, 1.75%, and 2.25%, for a combined increase of 5.5% and an annual average of 1.38%. This was way below the rate of inflation.
Here are some changes between the previous contract and the new contract.
In the previous collective agreement, workers who had been with Canadian Linen for at least 11 years would be entitled to 4 weeks of annual vacation. That clause has been replaced with one that says workers who have been with the company for at least 22 years would qualify for 5 weeks vacation.
The employer has agreed to increase the amount they pay for the cost of a physician’s receipt, from $25 per visit to $40 per visit.
Massage therapy coverage has increased from $200 per year as a maximum to $300 a yer.
Pension contributions will increase from $1.30 per hour worked to $1.35 in 2024, $1.40 in 2025, $1.45 in 2026, and $1.50 in 2027.
The boot allowance has increased from $100 per calendar year to $125 per calendar year.
Lead hands will get an additional $1.25 for each hour worked. It was $1.00 per hour in the previous contract.
