OSOYOOS TIMES-November 4, 2009
By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times
A decision has been handed down by an arbitrator, settling some of the outstanding matters between the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative (OTFC) and its employees.
The company’s employees are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), Local 247.
Details of the decision handed down on Oct. 27 by arbitrator Mark Atkinson, from the Labour Relations Board of B.C., were posted on the UFCW website.
“Your negotiating committee has not had a chance to review the document and we have scheduled a meeting to do so next week,” states the site, adding once the committee has gone through the document it will be providing more explanation to the employees.
But highlights of the legally-binding decision are outlined on the site.
The new agreement will be for a period of five years, expiring Aug. 31, 2014.
Employees will now possibly have to face a seven-day work week, with the opportunity to bid on shifts by seniority.
Those working weekend shifts will be paid straight time unless they are working overtime hours.
The employees won an additional two days paid bereavement leave, meaning they can now take up to five days for a death in a member’s immediate family.
There is also a new wage scale for employees hired after Oct. 27, 2009.
While the wages of current employees will not be reduced, new employees will be making as much as $5.79 less per hour for some jobs.
According to the decision document, the UFCW represents 500 employees.
The parties met in June and July in direct collective bargaining, but a number of issues remained outstanding.
Employees voted in July to strike, but matters went to mediation instead.
Atkinson met with both parties from October 4 to 6 and then informed the union and the employer that he would issue the decision.
This decision will form the majority of a new collective agreement, states the UFCW site, with other items left outstanding for the parties to further discuss.
If no agreement can be reached on the outstanding issues, they will be referred back to Atkinson.
The items left outstanding were not listed, and neither the company nor the union could be reached for comment by press time.
According to the OTFC website, they are the biggest packinghouse operation in the Valley.
In 2008, growers from four packinghouses in the Okanagan Valley (Okanagan North Growers Cooperative, BC Fruit Packers Cooperative, SunFresh Cooperative Growers and Okanagan Similkameen Cooperative Growers Association) voted to amalgamate into one operation.
Over 900 growers are part of the system, which puts out 3.5 million boxes of fruit each year.
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