Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-405 at Kimberley Alpine Resort have a new three-year collective agreement.

The agreement runs through until the fall of 2022.

Workers at Kimberley Alpine Resort ratified their agreement by an overwhelming amount, voting throughout the day December 21 at the resort as the operation began a new ski season.

Some bargaining highlights included supervisory language enhancements, employee equipment funding increases, specific job classification improvements and a very fair wage increase.

“We were able to negotiate a 7.25% wage increase over three years for members on the hill,” said Grant Farquhar, lead negotiator for USW Local 1-405. “We also improved the health and wellness plan which aids in covering the health costs for the members that are not covered by the benefit plan.”

This round of negotiations was very productive and provided a sense of cooperation between the union and management, a USW ratification bulletin notes.

Both Ted Funston, KAR General Manager and Grant Farquhar shared: “The process of bargaining this year was a very positive and a collaborative effort.”

The bulletin continued: “We were also fortunate that Mother Nature came to help at the resort just in time for the ski season to kick off, with an unprecedented snowfall this past week. The members at the resort were busy trying to handle the large accumulation and continue to work tirelessly to ensure a great and safe season at KAR.”

“I want to thank both bargaining committees for their tireless work throughout this process – most of the hours they spent negotiating were unpaid and during the off-season,” added Farquhar.

e-KNOW

Article Share