Wage gains, retiree benefits highlight Port Colborne Steelworkers’ contract at Vale

PORT COLBORNE, Ont. – Major wage increases and the restoration of retiree health-care benefits are among the highlights of a new contract ratified by United Steelworkers (USW) union members working at the Vale Base Metals refinery in Port Colborne.

The five-year collective agreement, covering more than 100 members of USW Local 6200 at the Vale refinery, provides a $4,000 ratification bonus and guaranteed total wage increases ranging from 20.5% to 25.7%. Wage increases could be even higher, if inflation exceeds a newly negotiated cost-of-living-allowance minimum guarantee over the contract’s term.

Another key achievement is a restoration of retiree health-care benefits that were lost during negotiations of the previous collective agreement in 2021. That concession affected new employees hired following the implementation of the 2021 contract.

However, in the latest round of collective bargaining, USW Local 6200 negotiated new retiree health-care benefits for all employees hired since 2021. This is a huge victory for the membership, given that nearly half of current members were hired after June 2021.

Other gains in the new contract include pension enhancements, a new health-care spending account, significant improvements to pensions, vision care, orthodontic coverage and short-term disability benefits, a new paid sick day, improved wage progression for skilled trades workers, and key language changes on issues including contracting out, technological change and vacation scheduling.

“Thanks to the solidarity and determination within our membership throughout the bargaining process, we have achieved a remarkable collective agreement that addresses our priorities and improves our working conditions,” said Wayne Johnson, Local 6200 President.

Local 6200 negotiated its new contract simultaneously with its sister union, USW Local 6500, which represents workers at Vale’s operations in Sudbury. While the two unions have separate collective agreements, they have traditionally engaged in joint negotiations, presenting a united front in their talks with their mutual employer.

“Our two unions have long benefited from our commitment to support one another and co-operate in the interests of all our members, our families and our communities. This commitment was front and centre as we negotiated these strong collective agreements,” Johnson said

“I congratulate Local 6200 and Local 6500 members who have achieved historic collective agreements that recognize their central contributions to Vale’s success,” said Kevon Stewart, Director of USW District 6 (Ontario and Atlantic Canda). “The incredible solidarity that has been built between these two unions will continue to benefit their members and their communities for many years to come.”

About the United Steelworkers union

The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

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