Last week, I received a new collective agreement from Local 424 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
This collective agreement was ratified back in July and is between Blanchett Neon Limited and the 15 or so IBEW members they employ.
Based out of Edmonton, Blanchett Neon is a signage provider.
The last collective agreement for these workers expired back in March. This new collective agreement is effective as of 1 April of this year, even though it was not ratified until July.
Of those workers who participated in the ratification process, 8 voted in favour of ratification and 7 opposed it.
The workers will receive wage increases in every year of this new 3-year collective agreement.
| 1 April 2025 | 2.50% |
| 1 April 2026 | 2.50% |
| 1 April 2027 | 2.50% |
That is a combined 7.5% over the length of the contract. That is better than what they got in their last agreement, which was an extra 50¢ every year, working out to just under 5% in total.
With these increases, 1st and 2nd level apprentices will finally make over $20 an hour, as of next April.
Here are some highlights of other changes to the collective agreement.
The management rights article has changed from this:
The Union recognizes the right of the Employer to the management of their plants and the direction of the working force, including the right to select, hire, promote, transfer, and discharge any employee for just cause. The Union further recognizes the right of the Employer to operate and manage their business in accordance with their commitments and responsibilities including methods, processes and means of production handling.
to something much more comprehensive:
The Union recognizes that the Employer retains the exclusive right to manage its operations and direct the workforce, except as specifically limited by the express provisions of this Agreement. The Employer’s management rights include, but are not limited to, the right to: establish, modify, and enforce reasonable workplace rules, policies, and procedures; select, hire, promote, transfer, and discharge any Employee for just cause; determine the number of Employees needed, the duties to be performed, and the qualifications required for such duties; assign work; and determine the methods, processes, and means of providing services, including the introduction of new or improved methods, equipment, or facilities.
Temporary workers shall now be paid in the first scheduled pay run after their employment ends. In the previous agreement it was within 48 hours of termination.
The unpaid, 30-minute meal break was removed from the collective agreement.
Night shift pay rate remains at 1.25% of the regular pay rate, but its applicable hours have changed from 1600–07:00 to 21:00–04:00, starting 5 hours later and ending 3 hours earlier.
Sick days have increased from 3 days per year to 4 days per year.
In the previous agreement, workers were compensated at a rate of $65 per day for room and board when working out of town and unable to return home. This has been replaced with a company credit card, so workers no longer have to pay room and board expenses up front.
The travel premium of $1 an hour for work performed out of town and requiring overnight travel has been replaced with an $80 per night travel allowance.
A journeyman outside work premium was introduced in the new collective agreement. Effective as of April 2025, the premium is an extra $2.88 an hour.
This collective agreement includes a letter of understanding that specifies a hiring incentive, which is $500 for any worker who brings in another worker who passes their probationary period.
It also includes a letter of understanding regarding the establishment of a safety committee. It also specifies that Blanchett Neon must provide IBEW 424 with details for any serious incidents, such as injury, illness, or death of a worker who is an IBEW 424 member.
