Years of negotiations pay off with 8% wage increase at Compass Foods, Huron College

February 18, 2011  

OPSEU workers at Compass Foods Canada at Huron College are celebrating their new contract. The bargaining team achieved an 8% wage increase over four years. There is an additional gain of 20¢ per hour for each of the last three years of the contract, which will help to close the wage gap. This agreement comes after two years of frustration at the bargaining table.

“These members have worked hard for this agreement,” said OPSEU President, Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Congratulations to the team for bringing home a good contract with a very difficult employer.”

Negotiations with Compass Foods Canada began on November 2, 2009. During the years of bargaining that ensued, the employer was available for negotiations for a total of just six days. A contract was only achieved after going to conciliation.

“Negotiations should not have taken as long as they did,” said OPSEU negotiator, Rain Loftus. “This employer was repeatedly unavailable, showed up unprepared and then left early. It is hard to describe the frustration we experienced.”

Ironically, in spite of its poor labour relations, Compass Group has been named a “top 100 employer of the year” by a list that appeared in the Globe and Mail.

“One employee has worked for over 30 years at this company only barely earning more than minimum wage,” said Loftus. “That is just one example of what we were fighting with this employer.”

Compass Group Canada is a multi-billion dollar corporation recognized as the country’s largest foodservice and support services company