Wages obtained by the Steelworkers union at ArcelorMittal in Longueuil and Contrecœur could reach $50 an hour at the top of the scale, at the end of the collective agreement.
The three local sections of the Steelworkers union, affiliated with the FTQ, which represent 800 workers, announced on Sunday that they had ratified the agreement which had been reached with ArcelorMittal Long Products.
This put an end to the strike launched on February 2. The return to work took place on Monday.
This agreement allows union members to receive a salary increase of $9 per hour from 2022 to 2028, an increase of 26% in the average salary.
However, management has since specified that the base salary will thus increase from $29.93 to $38.93 per hour at the end of the collective agreement. At the top of the scale, the salary will reach $49.92 per hour.
What’s more, there have also been improvements to the pension plan and group insurance.
Similarly, bonuses have been increased and others introduced, bonuses “which in the long term represent up to $2 per hour”, specified management.
Moreover, there was even the introduction of the four-day 10-hour schedule, adds management.
The management is satisfied with the contract concluded. “This new employment contract is a step forward for the industry. It will allow the attraction of the new generation and the retention of all of our people to whom we are particularly grateful despite the conflict. We innovate by putting forward work-life balance on the one hand and flexibility on the other.just-in-time” which gives us a competitive advantage to serve our local and international customers. As a result, we are taking into concrete consideration the labor shortage that we are all facing,” said Hugues Fauville, Vice-President, Human Resources.
This new employment contract is a step forward for the industry. It will allow the attraction of the new generation and the retention of all of our people to whom we are particularly grateful despite the conflict.
The Steelworkers union, affiliated with the FTQ, was very proud of the agreement it managed to obtain.
“Our members were ready to strike to improve their lot. They gave clear mandates, were solid on the picket lines as well as in the strength of the votes they gave us, in the strike mandate and in the face of insufficient offers presented at the beginning of the dispute. It’s a great collective success,” concluded with one voice the union representatives of the three Steelworker locals concerned, Jason Braconnier, François Lévesque and Éric Imbeault.