Earlier this month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the September–October 2024 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In the months of September and October, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 36 private sector and 31 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 3,408 and 4,855 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for 14 workers employed by TMS International, an American company that provides on-site, industrial steel mill services for steelmakers around the world.
These workers are employed at the company’s Sherwood Park location, formerly known as ALTA Steel, and are represented by Local 1-207 of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, also known as the United Steelworkers.
They include equipment operators, mechanics, and welders.
Their previous contract actually expired at the end of February. The new contract was settled this past August but is retroactive to 1 March 2024.
The first wage increase, however, isn’t retroactive. Instead, it is effective as ratification, which means those workers who got a raise lost out on 5 months of new wages.
On that note, not everyone got a raise in the first year. Have a look.
| Previous | 1st year | |
|---|---|---|
| Probationary | $29.00 | $29.00 |
| Operator 1 | $33.30 | $33.30 |
| Operator 2 | $33.55 | $35.55 |
| Operator 3 | $33.80 | $36.80 |
| Probationary mechanic or welder | $36.00 | $36.00 |
| Non-journey mechanic or welder | $39.30 | $42.80 |
| Journey mechanic or welder | $40.30 | $43.20 |
As you can see, probationary workers, level 1 operators, and probationary mechanics and welders all had their wages frozen for the first year.
All workers are set to receive a 3.0% increase in March 2025 and a 2.5% increase in March 20206.
This works out to a combined wage increase ranging from 5.59% for probationary workers to 14.99% for non-journey level mechanics and welders.
That averages out to between 1.86% and 4.99% per year, depending on the position.
In their last collective agreement, workers got a 75¢ increase in each of the first two years and a $1 increase in each of the last two years. On a percentage basis, this ranged from 9.15% for journey-level workers to 13.73% for probationary workers.
That’s an average of 2.37% to 3.43% per year. Their new contract averages 2.5% in the last two years of the contract.
So, some workers are definitely doing better under this new contract, as far as wage increases go, while others are doing worse.
Here are some highlights of other changes between the new contract and their previous contract.
New to the contract is being paid double time for any shift beyond the first overtime shift worked in any given cycle.
Also new to the contract is a right to refuse clause, which allows workers the ability to “refuse to do any particular act or series of acts at work which they have reasonable grounds to believe are unusually dangerous to their health and safety or to the health and safety of any other person at the place of employment, until sufficient steps have been taken to satisfy them otherwise”.
The boot allowance will increase from $300 to $350 per year, and workers can use it to buy up to two pairs of boots. New workers will get only up to $300 for their first pair of boots, but they have to wait until after their probationary period and will be reimbursed for it—this is unchanged from the previous contract.
Workers who are designated lead hands will be paid a premium of $2.50 an hour on top of their regular wage, up from $1 an hour in the previous contract.
The tool allowance for journey-level workers has increased from $75 per month to $140 per month.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has been added to the list of named holidays, bringing the total number of such holidays to 12. These are the holidays statutory holiday pay will be based on.
Bereavement pay has increased from 3 days to 4 days for immediate family, not including siblings-in-law, which get 3 days, up from 2 days. Grandparents have also been moved to immediate family status.
The employer has agreed to increase RRSP contributions from $1.75 an hour to $2.00 an hour for the first year of the new contract. They will increase to $2.25 an hour in the second year and $2.50 an hour in the final year.
