Mont-Laurier, Que. – March 30, 2015 – UFCW Canada Local 500 members at Marché Leblanc in Mont-Laurier, Quebec have overwhelmingly ratified a new collective agreement.

As a result of this recent bargaining round, the 145 Marché Leblanc members have obtained several changes and benefits, including:

• The employer’s contribution will remain at $0.18 per hour worked for every employee who is part of the UFCW dental plan for members in Quebec. Should this contribution prove to be insufficient, the employer will increase it to $0.19 per hour worked in order to keep the reimbursement of the cost of dental care at 80 percent;

• In the case of regular employees who are 50 and over, have been working in the store for over 10 years, and would like to reduce their hours, their work week can be reduced from 39 to 32 hours;

• Upon the signing of this union contract, every employee who has been working in this store for at least three years will receive a premium that is equivalent to 3 percent of the total wage earned between January 1 and April 15, 2015 inclusive;

• A 2 percent increase in the wage will be given to employees who are on top of the scales for every year during which the collective agreement is in effect; and

• One additional floating holiday will be given to employees who have been working in this store for at least three years.

‘‘I am very happy with this collective agreement, which maintains and improves working conditions for UFCW 500 members working at Marché Leblanc," says UFCW Canada Local 500 President Antonio Filato.   "I also want to thank the bargaining committee for their excellent work. This contract is a great example of what we can achieve when we all work together," Brother Filato adds.