CALGARY, Alberta — Safeway Canada here said its workers approved a new, five-year labor contract this week that covers about 8,000 employees in British Columbia. According to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518, Burnaby, British Columbia, the new pact calls for immediate wage increases of $1 per hour and a minimum increase of $3 per hour over the five-year contract. It also includes new language concerning the ability to transfer based on seniority, along with what it described as improvements in pension, insurance and vacation time. “This contract represents the best gains we have seen in the last 20 or 25 years,” said Ivan Limpright, president, UFCW Local 1518, in a prepared statement. Safeway Canada said it continues to negotiate with UFCW Local 247 and a bakers’ union on separate contracts.

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