After three weeks of voting on a new contract for MPI members, the ballots were counted this evening by the component’s bargaining representatives. A majority of members have voted in favour of management’s latest offer and therefore the new four-year collective agreement (effective September 23, 2012 – September 17, 2016) is now ratified.

Members will see a wage increase of 2.75% on their pay cheques in October 2014 and another increase of 2.75% in October 2015. The contract also features a new $300 Health and Well-Being Account for fitness-related expenses, the long-term disability benefits cap doubled to $5500/month, an increase of $100 to the Health Spending Account, expanded family leave and bereavement leave, a requirement to offer overtime to members more equitably, and a change for vacation selection to take place on March 1 instead of May 1 every year.

Effective dates for each contract improvement will vary, so members are asked to review the offer fact sheet for additional details. The MGEU’s next step will be to finalize, sign and print copies of the new contract which will be mailed to members as soon as it is ready. In the meantime, MPI members are encouraged to update their contact information to ensure they receive a copy of the new contract once available.