Overwaitea Foods Group, Save-On-Foods BC, and Overwaitea Foods
Location: province-wide, British Columbia
Union: United Food and Commercial Workers Canada
Affiliation: Change-to-Win / Canadian Labour Congress
Number of employees: 5,190
Bargaining unit: retail employees
A 120-month renewal agreement, effective from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2023, with a wage re-opener March 31, 2018, settled in March 2013 at the bargaining stage. Duration of negotiations - 2 months.
Wages
| Effective April 1, 2013 |
Effective April 1, 2014 |
Effective April 1, 2015 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| General Adjustments*, Off-Scale Wage Rates | $0.00 | $0.30 | $0.25 |
| Hourly Rates, Grid “A”, Full-Time, Pre-Ratification 1997 | |||
| Specialty Department Clerk, Top Rate only | $19.25 | $19.55 | $19.80 |
| Pharmacy Technician, Top Rate only | $20.25 | $20.55 | $20.80 |
| General Clerk/ Clerk Cashier, Top Rate only | $25.11 | $25.41 | $25.66 |
| Meat Cutter, Top Rate only | $27.26 | $27.56 | $27.81 |
| Regulated Pharmacy Technician [new addition] | $25.20 | $25.50 | $25.75 |
| Effective April 1, 2016 |
Effective April 1, 2017 |
Effective March 31, 2018 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| General Adjustments*, Off-Scale Wage Rates | $0.25 | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| Hourly Rates, Grid “A”, Full-Time, Pre-Ratification 1997 | |||
| Specialty Department Clerk, Top Rate only | $20.05 | $20.25 | $20.45 |
| Pharmacy Technician, Top Rate only | $21.05 | $21.25 | $21.45 |
| General Clerk/ Clerk Cashier, Top Rate only | $25.91 | $26.11 | $26.31 |
| Meat Cutter, Top Rate only | $28.06 | $28.26 | $28.46 |
| Regulated Pharmacy Technician [new addition] | $26.00 | $26.20 | $26.40 |
Note: The top rate of the Grid ‘B’ wage schedule will increase by $0.50 per hour in 2013, $0.50 in 2014, $0.50 in 2015, $0.50 in 2016, $0.60 in 2017, and $0.60 in March 2018, until they reach $20 per hour. Grid ‘B’ employees not at the top rate wage schedule will increase by $0.25 per hour in 2013 and each year thereafter, until they reach $20 per hour.
Lump-Sum Payment
Full-time Grid A employees received $1,500.
Active Part-time Grid A employees with 24 hours or more worked per week receive $1,000; 16-23 hours, $500, and 8-15 hours, $250.
Re-opener [new addition]
Effective 6 months prior to March 31, 2018, the parties will have the authority to re-negotiate all provisions in the current collective agreement, including wage increases and benefits. If no conclusion is achieved, the dispute will be resolved through final offer selection interest arbitration for a binding settlement. The arbitrator will not have the power to change the expiration date of the collective and either party may request additional full re-openers.
Hours of Work
40 hours per week [unchanged].
Bought Hours: Hours purchased in 1997 will no longer be used by the Employer [new addition].
Night Work: All employees will be allowed the chance to apply for night time rotation, with a minimum commitment of 2 months [new addition].
Restriction of Hours: All employees will have the option of restricting their weekly hours to a maximum of 3 [2] times per calendar year.
Weekday Restriction [new addition]
Employees will be eligible to schedule any one weekday off. Employees hired prior to ratification will be allowed a Sunday restriction, not to be used with the Weekday restriction.
Premium Pay
Employees hired after ratification will not be eligible for any premiums, except Overtime [new addition].
Paid Holidays
10 days [unchanged].
Paid Vacation
Effective January 1, 2017, all employees except Grid A, will receive 2 weeks earned at 4.0% after 1 year, 3 at 6.0% after 3, 4 at 8.0% after 8, and 5 at 10.0% after 13 [previously entitlement was determined by hours worked in a year].
Grid A employees: 2 weeks earned after 1 year, 3 after 3, 4 after 8, 5 after 13, 6 after 18, and 7 after 23 [unchanged].
Health and Welfare
Medical Services Plan/Weekly Indemnity/Long-Term Disability/Life Insurance/Accidental Death and Dismemberment: Employer contributes $0.30 [$0.22] per hour worked for all employees except Grid A.
Dental/Extended Health Benefits: Employer contributes $0.38 [$0.60] per hour worked for all employees except Grid A.
Pension Plan
Employer Contribution - Effective December 28, 2014, 9.0% [8.75%] of employee’s gross earnings; December 27, 2015, 9.25%; December 25, 2016, 9.5%; December 31, 2017, 9.75%; December 30, 2018, 10%; December 29, 2019, 10.25%; December 27, 2020, 10.5%; December 26, 2021, 10.75%; December 25, 2022, 11.0%; December 31, 2023, 11.25%; December 29, 2024, 11.5%; December 28, 2025, 11.75%; December 27, 2026, 12.0%. The parties agree to meet starting in 2017, to determine if there is a possibility of an accelerated increase not greater than 0.25% and not exceeding 12.0%.
Job Security
Seniority: Effective the date the store completes transition or January 1, 2015, whichever is first, all employees will use their Date of Hire as seniority date for the purpose of the collective agreement [previously employees had various dates].
Job Guarantee: No employee will suffer any reduction in wages, benefits or responsibility as the result of transition to a more efficient management restructuring, allowing the reduction of management positions over time [new addition].
New and Replacement Stores [new addition]: No strike or lockout in the 10 years after a New or Replacement store opens after January 1, 2013.
Voluntary Severance Package [new addition]: Employees, who were Grid B employees with 4,000 or more during the 2008 collective agreement and are still Grid B employees, will have the option of taking a voluntary severance or receiving a $5,000 lump sum payment and maintain employment [new addition].
Health, Safety and Education Fund
Effective April 2017, employer contributes $0.11 [$0.10] per hour, increasing $0.01 every April thereafter, to a maximum of $0.20.
Pharmacy Assistants/Technicians
$500 for internal Pharmacy Assistants selected by the Employer and reclassified to Regulated Pharmacy Technicians [new addition].
Labour-Management Committees
Collective Agreement [new addition]: To be established to review and make the collective agreement easy to use and understand.
Scheduling [new addition]: To be established to oversee scheduling practices, including the implementation of cross-classification scheduling to ensure it follows the guidelines.
Pension Plan [new addition]: To be established in 2017 to determine the possibility of accelerated increases for any given year that will not be greater than 0.25% per year and not exceed a 12.0% contribution level.
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0872609
Note: Summary reflects the information received at time of ratification.