After joining UFCW Local 864 earlier this year, workers at GFL Environmental in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, recently ratified their first union contract. GFL Environmental is a diversified environmental services company that offers services in solid and liquid waste management across Canada and the U.S., and these workers are employed as residential and commercial drivers, as well as drivers’ helpers.
The five-year agreement, which was ratified unanimously, includes a 21.5 percent compound wage increase over the course of the contract, including a 10 percent bump in year one. Workers will also receive a $3,000 signing bonus, along with two new paid holidays.
With the new contract, workers will have access to increased training and preferential hiring of assistants for the driver positions and a clear pathway for helpers to become drivers through seniority. New language has also been added to ensure overtime pay when workers are required to work a normal day off due to weather or excess work. In addition, workers will now have access to the formal grievance procedure to handle conflicts with management.
“I’m proud to congratulate our new members at GFL Environmental in Stellarton for achieving a strong first contract,” says UFCW Local 864 President Shauna Doyle. “Thanks to their hard work and determination, the members successfully came together to secure an excellent deal for a better future for themselves and their families.”