Loyalist College janitors’ new contract includes pension, sick days

The union representing more than 160 employees at facilities services provider Robinson Solutions in Oshawa, Ont. has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains.

The agreement includes enrolment in the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan with a two per cent employer contribution. As well, full-time employees will receive two additional paid sick days and three additional unpaid sick days and Family Day will become a paid holiday. Eye exams will also be covered up to $110 and paramedical coverage will increase from $500 to $550.

It also includes a $3 raise in the first year, followed by $1.25 in the second year and $1.75 in the third year.

Read: Stellantis, Unifor agreement includes transition to CAAT DBplus pension plan

The union representing employees at Wajax Power Systems in Dartmouth, N.S. also ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains.

Members will receive five paid sick days (up from three) and extended bereavement time, while Truth and Reconciliation Day will become a paid holiday, bringing the total number of paid holidays to 13. Employees will also see a cumulative wage increase of 9.5 per cent over the three-year term (four per cent in year one, three per cent in year two and 2.5 per cent in year three).

In other news, negotiations between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Treasury Board, to improve the Public Service Dental Care Plan for more than 185,000 federal public service workers, have stalled.

The PSAC is seeking several improvements to the plan, including increasing the annual maximum from $2,500, increasing the co-insurance rates, increasing the lifetime orthodontic maximum from $2,500 and eliminating the deductible.

Both parties will file for arbitration to resolve all outstanding proposals.

Read: PSAC, government tentative agreement includes new protections around remote work, wage increases