Ajax, ON – IAMAW Local Lodge 905 members employed by Messier-Dowty have a new collective agreement.
“Our biggest objective in this round of bargaining was the protection of all classifications when it comes to lay off by seniority,” explained IAMAW Grand Lodge Representative Bill Shipman. “We were successful in winning strict application of seniority when laying off all classifications with the exception of Machinist. This classification was vulnerable to layoff if the employer found that a Machinist had a skills inability. After lengthy discussions, we were successful in winning a mandatory twenty consecutive day training period for all Machinists so that they are given ample opportunity to show necessary skills when laid off and bumping. With the new training language, the employer is compelled to upgrade the Machinist with training to eliminate the skills inability and thus avoid a layoff.”
The new three-year agreement provides wage increases of 2 per cent in each year.
The 184 members manufacture aircraft landing gear for the commercial and military aviation markets worldwide.