Timmins airport workers have voted in favour of a new deal with the City of Timmins.
Today, the local members of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), a Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union, voted to accept the new collective agreement.
According to the union, the deal includes salary increases, along with improvements to maternity allowance, shift premiums and life insurance coverage.
“We are satisfied with the deal ratified earlier today. Our members were successful in improving their working conditions and fending off the employer’s unreasonable rollbacks,” said Martin Mika, UCTE regional vice-president for Ontario, in a news release.
The union represents 19 workers at the Victor M. Power Airport, including maintenance and airfield technicians, mechanics, electricians and administrative personnel.
Staff at the airport had been without a contract for about two years.
March 26 the two sides reached the tentative deal, which was voted on today.
Last month, the members voted in favour of taking strike action, even giving its 72-hour notice at one point, however workers remained on the job.
“The vast majority of collective agreements in Canada are reached without ever resorting to strike action,” said Mika. “Rather than working with us, the City adopted a hardnosed stance that made meaningful negotiations practically impossible.”
“Their my-way-or-the-highway approach is the reason why we came so close to striking.”
