Introduction to Master Agreement Negotiations at Domtar

Our master agreement with Domtar expires in 2025. That means our future wages and benefits are on the table as we begin bargaining this year.

The master process unites all the USW locals at Domtar facilities under a single master agreement to ensure we all get a fair deal regardless of size, location, or where we fall in the bargaining cycle.

Bargaining together gives us strength when we’re sitting across the table from one of the largest paper companies in the world and gives us a much better path to success than trying to bargain wages and important benefits by ourselves.

Representatives from every USW local will participate when we are bargaining major issues. This is a process we fought for in the USW paper sector for decades in order to prevent the company from singling out one local and then trying to force everyone to accept what happens there.

We all benefit from successful master negotiations because what happens now will determine our future pay and benefits.

Delegates from each local union, along with USW paper sector leaders and staff, serve as the Domtar Council Master Bargaining Committee. The bargaining committee develops our bargaining agenda and represents the voice of the membership at negotiations.

Both the USW bargaining committee and Domtar management draft and discuss proposals, caucus
(meet separately), make counter-proposals, test ideas, and look for ways to bridge differences. The goal is to reach an agreement that’s beneficial to members and acceptable to the company.

The Domtar Council Master Bargaining Committee makes a recommendation regarding a tentative
agreement (TA). Then, union members in good standing may vote to ratify or reject the TA.

Most of the provisions of the new master agreement will apply when your local contract expires. In the meantime, you’ll still get the annual wage increases and benefits that are guaranteed to you in our current agreement.

In some cases, the bargaining committee may strategically negotiate certain items like benefit
improvements to take effect sooner. If that happens, you’ll be notified by your local union when and how those changes will take effect.

What all this means is that while your local contract may not expire immediately – everything we negotiate now will impact you when it does, so we have to stick together through these master agreement negotiations!

Our master agreement expires at the end of 2025, so master bargaining will happen in October. At the direction of the USW Domtar Council, we have begun to have preliminary discussions with Domtar about master bargaining. As this process continues, and if it is productive, you can expect your bargaining committee representatives to be called to master bargaining later this year. If the process is not productive, we will work together on a strategy to achieve the best contract terms possible.

Look for information from local union leaders and CAT members and make sure to sign-up for text updates from your local.

Text your work location from the list below to 47486:

• Ashdown
• Carrollton
• Hawesville
• Johnsonburg
• Kingsport
• Nekoosa
• Owensboro
• Plymouth
• Rothschild