Local 6500 Post-Secondary School Scholarships are now available! If you are a member with children attending a post-secondary institution this fall, application forms are available by contacting the Worker Representative in your Plant or by contacting Kimberly Kmit at 705-675-3381 ext. 238 or by email - [email protected]. 

2022 POST-SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIPS

BURSARIES OFFERED FOR 1st YEAR POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION ONLY!

United Steelworkers Local 6500:

Robert Carlin Bursary
o Amount: $1000.00 Deadline – May 31, 2022

Homer Seguin Memorial Bursary
o Amount: $1000.00 Deadline – May 31, 2022

Edgar Burton Memorial Bursary
o Amount: $1000.00 Deadline – May 31, 2022

Brent Pollock Memorial Bursary (Laurentian University Only)
o Amount: $1000.00 Deadline – May 31, 2022

United Steelworkers Canadian National Office Secondary School Scholarship Program

o Members and their families are eligible for scholarships and paid internships. You can apply for both Canada-wide opportunities and the District awards

www.usw.ca/scholarships 

Ontario Federation of Labour Labour Honour Roll Scholarships

o Please check website - www.ofl.ca

Applications available at:
Steelworkers Hall – 66 Brady Street
Email [email protected] or call 705-675-3381 ext. 238
Your Worker Safety Representative

L-R:  Dan Xilon, Sudbury Food Bank Director, USW Representatives Tom White, Owen Marcotte, Todd McLeod and Jeffrey LaLonde, and Vale representatives Claire Parkinson and Gord Gilpin

The results are in, and the 2021 Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive had its best year yet in nearly 35 years of collecting donations for the Sudbury Food Bank. From November to December of 2021, the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive raised over $210,000 and collected approximately 113 tons of food.

“The community as a whole has been incredibly generous through these challenging times,” said Dan Xilon, Executive Director of the Sudbury Food Bank. “The number of clients we serve continues to grow so this incredible show of support from local businesses, residents and school children is gratefully accepted. It will go a long way in supporting our growing number of clients.”

The Sudbury Food Bank provides food to approximately 10,000 people every month through over 40 member agencies and outreach programs. Of those clients, over half are children. Through the pandemic, the Sudbury Food Bank has also seen an increase in first-time users over the age of 65.

Edgar Burton, a Vale Divisional Shops employee for 36 years, started the annual Christmas food drive in his workplace. The campaign grew to include businesses and schools across Sudbury and is now one of the largest per capita food drives in Canada.

“We are proud that our members continue the legacy that Edgar began so many years ago,” said Nick Larochelle, President of USW Local 6500. “Our members look forward to supporting our community in this way every year.”

Today, Vale donates the time of one full-time and one part-time United Steel Worker (USW) Local 6500 employee for approximately two months to organize the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive.

“Seeing the continued generosity in our community during particularly challenging times truly speaks to the resilience of our community and the genuine support we give to one another,” said Gord Gilpin, Head of Vale’s Ontario Operations. “It’s a community tradition that we are proud to support.”

A detailed summary of the new tentative agreement reached last week will be mailed to the home of every member soon.

The second round of contract negotiations produced a better agreement that will ensure all shipbuilders enjoy a higher standard of living for their labor in the yard.

• Higher wages
• A first-time essential pay bonus
• First-ever domestic partner benefits
• Faster promotions More income for retirees

This is a solid contract and the best deal possible for Local 8888 members who are holding it together at home and in the yard. You will have more money, better benefits and concrete recognition as essential shipbuilders for the first time. Most importantly, this contract continues to move shipbuilders and this union forward in turbulent times.

Here are some of the key highlights from the forthcoming summary:

WAGES

• There is new money in every year of the agreement, with increases to wage rates by an average of $3.26 per hour or 12.3% over the 60-month contract, not counting overtime and other wage additives.
• A 3.50% raise across the board for all labor grades on February 7, 2022

ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL APPRECIATION BONUS

For the first time, frontline shipbuilders will receive payment that recognizes our role as essential shipbuilders:

• $2,000 bonus paid within 14 days of ratification of the new agreement to all employees that are fully vaccinated and provide verification. If the company has no verification of an employee’s vaccination on the contract ratification date, the Company will pay the employee a $1,500 bonus within 14 days of ratification of the contract.
• Employees who are not fully vaccinated or for whom the Company has no verification of vaccination may still qualify for the $500 additional bonus if they provide verification of vaccination within 35 days of the contract ratification date.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES/WAGE PROGRESSION

Thousands of shipbuilders will benefit from major improvements in the wage progression:

• The starting rate will increase from Pay Grade 2 to Pay Grade 4. All employees in Pay Grades 2 and 3 will be raised immediately to Pay Grade 4.
• The number of hours worked to progress from Pay Grade 13 to Pay Grade 14 is reduced from 4,160 to 3,210 hours.

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