Residents are putting their trash back on the curb as the unionized employees at Carney's Waste Systems are back to work after a two-week labour dispute.
The hourly employees returned to their jobs Wednesday (Nov. 9) after successful negotiations involving company owner Owen Carney, Brian Cochrane of the Operating Engineers Local 115 and Gord Prescott, the manager of operations with the District of Squamish.
Carney said Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland asked Prescott to bring the sides together for a meeting.
"They got together and they had an agreement between them by noon," said Sutherland.
According to the owner of the waste management company, only four issues remained outstanding before he and Cochrane agreed to meet on Tuesday (Nov. 8) with Prescott.
The four issues were settled, leading to a collective agreement that dates back to May 1, 2005 and ends in three years.One of the most contentious issues centred on managers driving trucks while hourly staff sat at home.
The new deal continues to allow the company's assistant manager to drive only two hours a day. Beyond those two hours, a union worker has to be called in.
The workers are getting three per cent wage increases in each year of the deal. In the first year, the workers are getting an additional $0.35 an hour toward their pensions taking the total hourly pension contribution up to $1.65 per hour. The deal includes a boot allowance raise of $30 to a yearly allowance of $150.
The workers wanted the company to create a stand-by pay rate and the new deal includes a rate of pay for those who have to carry a cell phone in case they are needed at work on short notice.
Carney said the company was already working to create new swamper positions and he is committed to making that happen but there is no mention of the swamper issue in the new collective agreement.
The last new clause in the agreement indicates the company and the union commit to start contract negotiations in 2008 a few months before the new contract expires.
Carney added that he offered and is giving each employee a $100 signing bonus for ratifying the agreement.Eric Sundstrom, the shop steward at Carney's, said that overall the workers are pleased with the deal. He indicated the vote was 25 to four. "There's a few people in the office that the relationships will never be the same," said Sundstrom. "We are all mature people and we move on."
Sundstrom said the workers appreciated all the support they got from the community on the picket line.
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