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The union representing 70 employees at Northern Transformer in Vaughan, Ont. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains.

The agreement introduces a group registered retirement savings plan and a deferred profit-sharing plan in which the company will provide a matching contribution of three per cent of regular earnings, capped at $1,500.

It also includes an extra sick day, a 16 per cent pay increase over four years and a long-term disability program, which allows members to claim LTD at 66.67 per cent of their earnings up to age 65.

Read: Domtar, Unifor agreements include pension, benefits gains

“This is a solid deal considering we have an ageing workforce that requires a pension plan and long-term disability they can count on,” says Eamonn Clarke, president of Local 252. “The members were very happy overall with the contract and improvements.”

In other news, the union representing more than 700 employees at Winnipeg-based New Flyer has ratified a five-year collective agreement that includes a $1 increase to the employer’s pension contribution in each of the first three years.

The new contract also increases the amount of bereavement days for immediate family from three to four days and includes increased coverage for orthodontics ($2,500 lifetime maximum, up from $2,100), vision care ($275, up from $250) and retirement life insurance ($3,000, up from $2,750).

Read: Jazz Aviation, Unifor agreement includes pension enhancements, bereavement leave