Canada Safeway Limited

Location: province-wide, Alberta

Union: United Food and Commercial Workers Canada

Affiliation: Change-to-Win / Canadian Labour Congress

Number of employees: 6,800

Four 48-month renewal agreements, effective from March 21, 2010, to March 22, 2014, settled in June 2011 at the bargaining stage. Duration of negotiations – 19 months.

Wages

* Higher adjustment of $0.80 per hour is applicable solely to those employees at the top rate of their wage scale. Employees not at the top rate receive off-scale adjustments of $0.30 or $0.50 per hour, depending on classification. Any employee who is placed at an off-scale rate as a result of any wage increase will remain at that off-scale rate until his/her service and experience qualifies the employee for the next higher rate in the wage scale.

Retroactivity

Employees at the top rate for their classification receive a lump-sum payment equal to $0.80 per hour for all paid hours from March 21, 2010, to June 11, 2011; in-scale employees receive a lump-sum payment based on $0.50 per paid hour. Employees currently on vacation, authorized leave of absence, sick leave, injury leave, short-term disability, long-term disability, worker’s compensation, maternity leave, or parental leave will be eligible for the lump-sum payment.

Two-Tier Wage Structure

Separate 5,000 to 10,000-hour wage scales were introduced for employees hired after the date of ratification of a previous collective agreement (i.e., June 21, 2003). Those wage schedules continue into the new agreement, with top of scale and in-scale employees also eligible for each of the general wage adjustments.

Hours of Work

Full-time employees, 40 hours per week; Assistant Managers, Produce Managers, and Bakery Managers, 43 hours per week [unchanged].

Shift Scheduling: Full-time employees may request they not be scheduled to work a maximum of 2 evenings per week [new]. Subject to operational requirements, requests will not be unreasonably denied.

Other Premium Pay

Deli Trainer [new]: $1.00 per hour.

Paid Holidays

11 days [unchanged].

Paid Vacation

2 weeks earned after 1 year, 3 after 3, 4 after 8, 5 after 13, 6 after 18, and 7 after 23 [unchanged]. On a trial basis for the term of the agreement beginning with the 2012 vacation year, employees with a minimum of 5 weeks’ vacation entitlement will be able to book a maximum of 2 weeks’ outside of the standard Sunday to Saturday weekly block [new].

Health and Welfare

Long Term Disability: Benefit equal to 50.0% of base weekly earnings, to a monthly maximum of $2,000 [$1,800] for all disabilities occurring on or after June 10, 2011.

Dental Care Plan: Employer contribution to Dental Care Plan is increased to $0.32 [$0.26] per paid regular hour.

Vision Care Plan: Maximum reimbursement of $200 [$150] in any 24-month period, including a maximum of $60 for an eye exam [new].

Medical Reports: Employer pays the full cost of any report required to substantiate Weekly Indemnity benefits, to a maximum of $50 [$25].

Pension Plan

Employer Contribution: Effective August 29, 2010, employer contributes $1.20 [$0.85] per regular paid hour, to a maximum of the basic work week, to the Canadian Commercial Workers’ Industry Pension Plan (CCWIPP); August 5, 2012, $1.25.

Note: Supplemental employer contribution of $0.35 per regular paid hour to the CCWIPP Stabilization Fund is discontinued effective March 20, 2010.

Job Security

Retention of Seniority During Layoff: Increased to 9 [6] months for full-time employees.

New Employee Orientation: Shop stewards will be allowed to introduce themselves to new employees on shift after receiving permission from the store manager or designate [new]. Such time will not exceed 5 minutes and not unduly interfere with the employee’s regular duties.

Allowances

Equalization: Effective June 12, 2011, senior and recently-transferred employees in Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray receive $1.50 [$1.00] per hour; all employees in Canmore and Banff receive $0.50 per hour [new].

Leaves of Absence

Parental/Adoption: Letter of Understanding stipulates that any employee on parental/adoption leave will have the opportunity to work to a maximum of 25% of their Employment-Insurance benefit level if they so choose [new].

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Note: Summary reflects the information received at time of ratification.