Ambassador Bridge duty free workers ratify contract featuring 8%-14% raise

'Took on a mammoth U.S. corporation and forced it to negotiate.' - OPSEU president Leah Casselman

Windsor - Student workers at the Ambassador Bridge Duty Free Store, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE), have ratified a new collective agreement, ending a three-week strike.

The contract includes a 12-month extension for all employees, an immediate wage increase of between 8% and 14%, and a signing bonus of $1,000 for each eligible union member.

Under the deal, current and future employees will also receive a voucher worth $250 at the University of Windsor bookstore after completing six months of employment. All of the store’s unionized employees are full-time students at the University.

“These 45 students took on a mammoth U.S. corporation and forced it to negotiate a fair contract,” says OPSEU president Leah Casselman.

“When we started, the employer was demanding a wage freeze until 2010. The gains these students have won will benefit not only themselves, but all other U of W students who work at the Duty Free Store in the future.”

The Ambassador Bridge Duty Free Store on the Canadian side is owned and operated by Ambassador Bridge Corp. In partnership with the University of Windsor, it employs about 50 people, all university students.

Ambassador Bridge Corp. is privately owned and operated by wealthy Detroit businesman Matty Maroun. The structure, built in 1929, is the largest toll crossing between Canada and the United States. It carries about 9,000 trucks and 24,000 cars each day. NUPGE

More information:
• Windsor won't tolerate duty-free scab labour
• Duty free workers to strike at busiest Canada-U.S. border point

Web posted by NUPGE: 29 September 2005

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