Dive Brief:

• Nestle Canada has reached a deal with members of Unifor Local 252 to end a nine-day strike of more than 360 workers at a plant that makes Kit Kat and Aero candy bars in Windsor, Ontario. 
• At issue was a proposal by Nestle to eliminate a defined-benefit program for workers. The company later altered that proposal to eliminate the program only for new workers in exchange for a three-year freeze on wages for existing workers.
• The final deal is said to include a pay increase and preserve the defined-benefit plan. 

Dive Insight:

Details on the deal are a bit sketchy at this point. But it would appear this is a victory for the union, which may have implications for much of the industry.

Unifor is a new player with much to prove on the labor scene -- it was formed last year in a merger between the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers unions. The Nestle fight was one of its first major tests. Unifor represents 9,600 workers at Canadian food manufacturers.