After a five-day strike, the union representing 800 employees at Magna International Inc.’s Integram Seating factory in Windsor, Ont. has ratified a collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains.
The benefits gains include: vision coverage, from $250 every two years to $400; a rise in the basic annual dental maximum, from $1,600 to $1,900; an increase in annual orthodontic coverage, from $2,200 to $2,500; a rise in dispensing fee coverage, from $9 to $11; and extended coverage for the Shingrix vaccine.
The agreement also extends mental-health coverage to include registered social workers within the current psychologist maximum, as well as coverage of one annual prostate-specific antigen test at a reimbursement rate of 90 per cent.
Read: Stellantis, Unifor agreement includes transition to CAAT DBplus pension plan
Workers will also see wage increases of 15 per cent over the life of the agreement, with an immediate seven per cent increase, followed by increases of three per cent in both 2024 and 2025 and two per cent in 2026. The agreement also includes a $5,000 productivity and quality bonus and three $1,000 inflation protection payments beginning in 2024.
“The strike action at the seating plant led to a fair contract,” said Lana Payne, Unifor national president, in a press release. “Unifor members at Integram have paved the way for higher standards not only for themselves but for auto parts workers across the industry. Together, we’ve shown when workers unite, we can achieve great progress and set new standards for wages, benefits and work ownership throughout the independent auto parts supplier sector.”
In other news, the union representing outside workers for the municipality of Baie-D’Urfé, Que. has ratified a five-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains.
The agreement includes the establishment of a member-funded defined benefit pension plan and an increase in the municipality’s contribution to the plan from eight per cent to nine per cent. It also includes the addition of a health-care spending account, as well as wage increases ranging from 15.5 per cent to 30.9 per cent. Members will also receive a paid a lump sum of about $2,140.
Read: Metro, Unifor agreement includes pension, benefits gains