The University’s steelworkers have ratified their tentative agreement.
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2010, representing 1,200 University staff, ratified a three-year Collective Agreement with the University on March 13, with 65 per cent of voting in favour of the agreement. The new agreement addresses issues like wages, job and union security, and workload management.
READ MORE: University, staff reach tentative deal just in time to avoid strike
With 83 per cent voter turnout, the new agreement saw 655 voting to accept and 345 voting to reject the deal. Once ratified by the University, the agreement will be in effect from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2027, USW Local 2010 President Kelly Orser said in a statement to The Journal.
According to Orser, the new Collective Agreement for USW Local 2010 will see adjustments to the union’s salary grid to align with market pay rates, resulting in higher base salaries. The new agreement also includes an across-the-board wage increase of three per cent in July 2025, followed by 2.25 per cent increases in both July 2026 and 2027.
USW Local 2010 announced a strike deadline of March 8 at 11:59 p.m., with picketing set to begin the following Monday if no agreement was reached. A prior strike vote saw overwhelming , with 96 per cent of in favour. On March 9, the University announced they’d reached a tentative agreement with the union.
READ MORE: staff workers set a strike deadline for the first time in USW 2010 history
While the union was unsuccessful in securing a new agreement, they weren’t able to secure retroactive wages or remedies related to the provincial government’s Bill 124. The bill, which was repealed in February 2024, capped wages of public sector workers to an increase of one per cent per year.
“There are many steelworkers who are disappointed with the agreement, primarily due to a lack of retroactive pay regarding Bill 124. The Bargaining Team struggled with this as it was a clear mandate from the hip,” Orser said.
Orser said the University’s intention to publicize the tentative agreement pushed the bargaining team to bring the offer to for review and vote. She added the decision to accept or reject the offer was left to the full hip rather than the seven of the bargaining team.
“The ballot used for all steelworkers to make their decision was verified by the USW Legal Team in our Canadian National Office, which stated: ‘The Bargaining Team has presented a tentative agreement for your consideration. Please indicate your decision below: Yes—I ACCEPT the tentative agreement offer. No—I REJECT the tentative agreement and authorize the Bargaining Team to commence strike action,’” Orser said.
In a Labour News update on March 14, the University announced they’ve been informed of the ratification of the tentative agreement to renew the Collective Agreement. The istration reiterated the agreement is still subject to the University’s ratification, which is expected to happen later this month. No finite date was mentioned in the statement.
Orser acknowledged the steelworkers’ efforts during negotiations and reaffirmed the union’s commitment to advocating for fair treatment and respect for its .
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