2011 news releases

Current and archival news releases for major SGI CANADA announcements, decisions, projects or campaigns.

COPE members ratify SGI contract offer

August 30, 2011

Members of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees (COPE) Union, Local 397, have ratified a new collective agreement with SGI.

The new agreement includes a 7.5 per cent general wage increase over four years (1 per cent, 3 per cent, 1.5 per cent, 2 per cent), with retroactive pay from Jan. 1, 2010.

"Reaching an agreement with COPE provides stability for our unionized employees, customers and company as a whole," said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI. "We value our employees' contributions and look forward to continue meeting our customers needs."

The current collective agreement between SGI and COPE expired Dec. 31, 2009. The new agreement expires Dec. 31, 2013. Other highlights include:

• employer-paid pension increase from 5.5 per cent to 5.75 per cent effective Jan. 1, 2012
• restructuring and changes to existing employee benefit plans
• health and dental benefits maintained during the term of the agreement
• a guarantee of no layoffs for permanent employees for the period expiring Dec. 31, 2013

Now that a tentative agreement has been reached, COPE has suspended job action and lifted its ban on overtime.

About SGI

SGI was created in 1945 and has evolved into two distinct operations. The Saskatchewan Auto Fund is the province's compulsory auto insurance program, operating the driver's licensing and vehicle registration system. SGI CANADA is the competitive arm of SGI, selling property and casualty insurance in seven provinces.