Vale workers in Sudbury vote on 5-year deal, 1% pay bump in 2015

The first ballots have been cast in the ratification vote for Vale miners, millers and smelter workers in Sudbury.

The members of Steelworkers Local 6500 are voting on a new 5-year agreement reached with the company earlier this week, well ahead of the May 31 deadline.

A list of contract highlights obtained by CBC News shows there will be an across the board 1 per cent pay hike this year.

But after that, the wage increases go to one cent per hour for the next two years, two and a half cents in 2018 and then a 1.5 per cent pay hike in the final year of the contract.

There will also be annual cost-of-living allowance increases, amounting to an estimated $2.20 per hour over the course of the agreement

There are also changes to the pensions and benefits for Vale workers, as well as refined language around when the company can hire outside contractors.

Steelworkers will also receive a $4,500 dollar signing bonus if they accept the new contract.

The results of the vote are expected on Friday evening.

If they vote yes, it will mean 10 years of labour peace for Sudbury's Vale operations, following the year-long strike in 2009-10.