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Unifor members at Armada Toolworks who were locked out 10 days before Christmas have ratified a new collective agreement giving them wage increases and improvements in other areas.
“Our members understood the position we were put in by an aggressive employer who was damaging its own business reputation by locking out our hard working members,” Local 222 president Ron Svajlenko said.
Armada Toolworks of Lindsay, Ontario, locked out its workers on December 15. The local negotiated a contract extension to January 25, which put the workers back on the job before Christmas. About 70 per cent of the 200 unionized workers are women, many of them single parents dependent on their paycheques from Armada.
In a deal reached January 17 and ratified by a 97 per cent majority on January 19, all members will see their salaries increase to more than $15 an hour by December 1, 2014. Under the previous agreement, the majority of the workforce made $14.26 per hour. Another 123 non-unionized temporary workers earn only $10.25, the minimum wage.
Language changes in the new collective agreement address pay shortage issues and vacation pay options, as well as increases in safety footwear and benefits.
Armada Toolworks is an auto parts maker that supplies a variety of global vehicle manufacturers.
