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At a general assembly last Friday, close to 400 Laval blue-collar workers voted 92 per cent in favour of their new collective agreement. The six-year agreement runs from February 1, 2010, to December 31, 2015.

The agreement includes annual salary increases of two per cent for the first year, 2.25 per cent for each of the following two years, and 2.5 per cent for each of the last three years.

The blue-collar workers also accepted a number of adjustments to modernize and secure the viability of their pension plan. They agreed to increase their pension contributions by 1.6 percentage points gradually between now and January 1, 2014.

With the new contract will also come new jobs.

Negotiations were drawn out and lasted for close to three years. At the end of the day, this agreement allows our members to maintain good working and retirement conditions while respecting the City’s restrictions. I tip my hat to the blue-collar workers for such a solid show of support to their negotiating committee,” declared Martin Gagnon, president of the Laval blue-collar workers (CUPE Local 4545).

It’s worth noting that on February 29, the blue-collar workers voted 96 percent in favour of giving their executive committee a strike mandate. The strike ran from April 12 to 22, during which time the blue-collar workers refused overtime yet continued to provide the necessary services for the public’s health and well‑being.

The Laval blue-collar worker’s union represents approximately 600 maintenance and public service workers.