Local Canada Goose employees sign new contract

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This article was published 19/03/2022 (1321 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local Canada Goose employees have signed a new collective bargaining agreement containing a cumulative 10 per cent wage increase over the four year contract.

Staff at the luxury garment manufacturer in Winnipeg voted overwhelmingly in favour of their first contract Friday, a release from Workers United Union said. The contract applies to about 1,200 employees.

According to the union, the contract includes a 40 cent wage increase at ratification, a one per cent increase in October, a 2.5 per cent increase in both 2023 and 2024 and a four per cent increase in 2025.

The agreement also contains a grievance process covering “every aspect of the working environment” and language to protect workers on leave of absence, the union noted.

“This is a wonderful moment for all of us. We are so appreciative to have our voices heard during the bargaining process and to see our efforts rewarded,” Alelie Sanvictores, a sewer and a member of the bargaining committee, said in the release.

Canada Goose employees in Winnipeg voted to unionize in December 2021 after what was described as a tumultuous three-year unionization drive for workers, many of whom are recent immigrants.

David Paul, chief negotiator and a representative of the Workers United Canada Council, described the agreement as historic.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the entire committee for laying their trust in the process, for their participation, and their commitment to each other,” Paul said.

In April 2019, Workers United filed a union application for one of Canada Goose’s three Winnipeg locations. The company argued to the Manitoba Labour Board its three facilities were integrated and unionization at one site would be disruptive.

In December 2019, the board agreed with the company and the application was not certified. However, the board also heard charges of unfair labour practices during the hearing, with which it agreed was the case.

The majority of staff sewing the high-priced parkas, which can retail at over $1,000 a piece, were earning minimum wage with the additional compensation when piece work quotas were exceeded.

In August 2020, staff were forced to use outdoor portable toilets at the company’s Mountain Avenue production facility after facilities were out of order for three weeks.

And last January, Workers United alleged a “climate of fear” had descended on Canada Goose’s plant with workers feeling intimidated and poorly treated by supervisors.

Sewer Yu Hao said workers had to overcome many obstacles to achieve the contract and the entire community is celebrating the new agreement.

“We look forward to our work now,” Hao said in the release. “It is hard work, but with our contract, we will be better rewarded for what we do.”

A request for comment from Canada Goose was not immediately returned on Friday.

In its latest quarterly report, Canada Goose reported a net income of $151.9 million for its quarter ended Jan. 2, up from $107 million a year earlier. Revenue for the third quarter totalled $586.1 million, an increase from $474 million a year earlier.

— Staff