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New agreement for unionized Bienfait employees

The unionized employees for the Town of Bienfait’s public works department have voted unanimously in favour of their first collective bargaining agreement.

The unionized employees for the Town of Bienfait’s public works department have voted unanimously in favour of their first collective bargaining agreement.

The two employees are members of the Christian Labour Association of Canada’s (CLAC) Local 306. They voted to unionize in 2017.

According to a press release from CLAC, it’s a three-year agreement, and highlights of the pact include improvements to the boot allowance, a provision for annual bonuses, the establishment of wage security and an improved time bank.

The deal is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018. The two sides had been negotiating for more than a year.

“The primary impetus to have this done was to ensure that job security, and make the guys confident in their futures with the town,” said Chad Vankoughnett, CLAC representative. “I think they had a good relationship with the town, but it was more a matter of finalizing the arrangement.”

There won’t be wage increases in the contract. Rather, the focus was on some of the other aspects of the contract.

Bienfait mayor Paul Carroll said negotiating was a new experience for all members of council. He agreed there were trying moments, but the town hired somebody with experience and expertise, and she led them through the process.

The public works division is the only one in the town that is unionized. The clerical and administrative staff did not go the union route, although that was an option available.

“Both the union and the town committee know exactly what’s expected of everybody,” said Carroll. “I think it’s much better for everybody involved that everything’s defined and in writing.”

Both Carroll and Vakoughnett believe both sides had a goal in mind: a good agreement for everybody.

“I think we achieved that,” said Vankoughnett.