Back in September, I wrote an article about Local 362 of the General Teamsters Union filing a union certification application with the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
They filed the application on behalf of 6 mixer drivers employed by Burnco Rock Products Ltd. in Medicine Hat.
I’ve since learned that the workers voted in favour of unionizing and the ALRB subsequently awarded them their certification in October 2023.
These workers chose their negotiating team and went straight to work on bargaining for a new contract. That contract was settled on 25 February 2024 by the workers and the employer.
The new contract is effective from 25 February 2024 until 28 February 2026.
With the new contract comes a 2.5% raise effective 1 March 2024, bringing wages up from $29.98 per hour to $30.73 an hour. They will increase another $2.5% in March 2025 to reach $31.50 an hour.
Also in the new contract is vacation time. Workers will be entitled to annual vacations, ranging from 2 weeks for those who’ve been with the company for a year to 5 weeks for those who have been there for at least 20 years.
Technically, however, these aren’t paid vacations. Workers will receive vacation pay—calculated at 4–10% of earnings, depending on how long they’ve been with the company—on each paycheque. It would then be up to the workers to put that money aside to cover their income while on vacation.
Workers will receive pay for the following 12 recognized holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Civic Day (August)
- Labour Day
- Truth and Reconciliation Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
The contract also states that workers will have a travel allowance of 55¢ per kilometre if they have to use their personal vehicle for company business. Any drivers having to train new workers will get an extra $2 an hour during training time.
Burnco will provide a safety allowance of $200 a year to these workers. Also, workers will be entitled to 1 pair of prescription safety glasses every two years up to a maximum of $400.
