TRW workers vote in favour of first contract
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TRW auto parts workers in Tillsonburg have voted 83.8% in favour of a first collective agreement.
The agreement sees wages and benefits improve, two-tier pay structures eliminated for production workers and restrictions placed on the use of temporary agency work, among other substantial gains, said a media release issued by the Canadian Auto Workers.
"This is a landmark deal for these parts workers, the newest members of the CAW," Jerry Dias, assistant to CAW National President Ken Lewenza, said in the release.
The three-year deal includes a 90¢ per hour wage increase in the first year, with hourly rate increases of 1% in both years two and three. Skilled trades will receive an additional 75¢ hourly-wage bump-up over the life of the agreement.
There are also improvements to pension benefit, bereavement leave, access to flexible shift scheduling, new provisions for safety shoes and layoff and recall rights, said the release.
"This new union contract is over 20 years in the making," Bargaining Committee Chairperson Elaine Kamenar, representing the 220 TRW workers, said in the release. "The workers at our facility have been trying for decades to win collective bargaining rights. Now we've got them. And the benefits have been instant. The gains we've made in this contract, through the CAW, are well deserved and long overdue."
TRW workers voted to join the CAW in October, 2012 and are members of Local 1859. TRW manufactures steering columns, brake systems and other auto parts for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.