Tough negotiations bring gains for IAM Spitfire Local 741 at Magellan Aerospace Winnipeg

Tough negotiations bring gains for IAM Spitfire Local 741 at Magellan Aerospace Winnipeg

16 December, 2022

Winnipeg, MB – Tough negotiations were the rule of the day, but gains and improvements to the collecting bargaining agreement for IAM Local Lodge 741 were the final product.

“I was privileged to assist in this round of negotiation with Glenn Tomchak and the elected negotiation committee from Local Lodge 741. It was a tough round of negotiations consisting of 10 days total where this past Tuesday December 13, the two parties came to a tentative agreement,” said Neil Giroux, Grand Lodge Representative for IAM Canada.

The agreement was overwhelmingly ratified Thursday December 15, by the membership.

Some monetary gains were improvements towards eye care, safety boots, pension premium, shift premiums and life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance increases

  • A new premium of $9.00 for every hour worked on a Saturday and a Sunday for members assigned to 7-day operations.
  • Substantial wage increases per hour in all three years of the contract.

The most important gain in these negotiations is changing a skills- and merit-based progression to a time-based progression. This was long overdue considering that there are many members whose wage progression was stagnant for many years and some even decades.

The members at the Magellan facility at Stony Mountain, northwest of Winnipeg, manufacture Black Brant sounding rockets and the CRV 7 rocket for Canadian, U.S. and other military forces. The local was chartered into the IAM in 1941.

(PHOTO: Left to right) Glenn Tomchak, James Heintz, Brenden Jones, Grant Hoist, Neil Giroux, Vivian Dueck (Absent)

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For more information:
Neil Giroux, GLR (ngiroux@iamaw.org)
Glen Tomchak, DBR District 181 (gtomchaka@iamdl181.org)