TORONTO, MONTREAL – The best pay rates in the industry are among significant improvements in a new collective agreement achieved by United Steelworkers (USW) members working at Delta Airlines operations in Canada.
USW Local 1976 members approved the new, five-year contract in ratification votes held across Canada this month. The contract covers more than 300 Delta employees at airports across the country, including ticket and gate agents, baggage handlers and ramp workers.
“This contract represents a great achievement for our members and for our bargaining committee,” said Steven Hadden, President of USW Local 1976.
“With the solidarity and support of our membership, the bargaining committee achieved meaningful contract improvements while also defending our members’ defined-benefit pension plan and contracting-out language that maintains job security.”
The new, five-year collective agreement provides a 4.5% wage increase this year, to be followed by increases of 3.5% in 2019 and 3% in each of the last three years of the contract, making Delta employees the highest-paid in Canada.
Approximately 50% of the employees covered by the collective agreement also will receive additional wage increases in the contract’s first year, to address disparities in pay rates in some job classifications. These employees will receive wage increases ranging from 13% to 16% this year.
Other gains in the new collective agreement include increases in shift premiums and improved vision care and paramedical coverage.
“This is a solid collective agreement that recognizes the key contributions the members of Steelworkers Local 1976 make at Delta Airlines,” said USW Canadian Director Ken Neumann. “The hard work and excellent customer service that our members bring to their jobs each day are vital to the company’s success.”
Ken Neumann, USW National Director, 416-544-5951
Steven Hadden, President, USW Local 1976, 514-526-8280
Troy Lundblad, USW Staff Representative, 416-544-5947, tlundblad@usw.ca
Denis St. Pierre, USW Communications, 416-544-5990, 647-522-1630, dstpierre@usw.ca
Tomorrow is Election Day in British Columbia and there’s too much at stake for Steelworkers to sit this one out. Across our province, working families are facing real challenges. Forestry communities are fighting to protect jobs and keep mills running. Mining workers need stronger safety protections and training. Canadian jobs are threatened by outsourcing, and […]
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 7619 has issued 72-hour strike notice to Teck’s Highland Valley Copper (HVC) operation near Logan Lake, B.C., following unsuccessful negotiations to reach a fair collective agreement. The notice was served Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., with the union preparing for potential strike action if an agreement […]
The jobs of thousands of USW members have been plunged into uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs, outsourcing and offshoring. In 2025, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) has supported initiatives that help build union-to-union solidarity, which is critical to ensuring workers have a voice. Over the years, the USW has supported the efforts of the Mexican […]