'Real negotiations' could spawn
tentative
deal in Kitchener
Schneider Office Employees' Association | CWA Canada
Local 30009
White-collar workers at a food products
operation in Kitchener, Ont., could be looking at a
tentative deal on a collective agreement three weeks
from today, when management brings a "full proposal" to
the table.
Talks that resumed this week with
the company's new owner, Maple Leaf Foods, "were
tough but not too bad," says Arthur Lacroix, president
of the 75-member Schneider Office Employees' Association
(SOEA).
"At least they were real negotiations, as opposed
to the Schneider way," he adds wryly.
The company, he says, has made
a wage offer that's "fairly
close on the numbers" but "we're still waiting
on benefits."
Lacroix says management has
made it clear that its proposal on Feb. 22 will be "close
to its final offer."
While the company has applied for conciliation, neither
side has asked for a conciliator to be appointed because
they hope it will not be necessary, he says.
The employees represented by the SOEA, in administration,
finance, clerical and information technology, are most
interested in salary increases, job security and severance
language.
Lacroix says Maple Leaf, which took over Schneider
Foods four years ago, has delayed moving office workers
to Kitchener from its Mississauga operation until the
contract is settled. It expired in November.