There will be no strike at the Sorel port this spring. Following 17 bargaining sessions that have taken place since June 2022, CUPE 4333, representing Sorel-Tracy longshore workers, and the employer signed a new collective agreement yesterday.
The four-year agreement that will run until December 31, 2025 calls for wage increases totaling 16.5% and a minimum employment level of 30 employees for the seniors’ group and 10 for the regular group. In addition, regular employees will be getting a pension plan.
The union recently requested conciliation and obtained a strike mandate, but was not needed in the end. The longshore workers ratified the agreement on March 13 at a union meeting.
The last agreement expired on December 19, 2021.
“We’re satisfied with several gains we made and managed to get a negotiated agreement, in spite of the difficulties encountered. We’re now looking to the future,” says Yves Lussier, president of CUPE 4333.