ARTICLE 33.
WAGES, CASUAL RATES, PREMIUMS and COST-OF-LIVING (COLA)

1. General Wage Increases:  All Regular Employees

All regular employees subject to this Agreement will receive the following general wage increases:

Effective Dates  Hourly     Mileage

April 1, 2003  $0.50 per hour  1.250 cents per mile

April 1, 2004  $0.40 per hour  1.000 cents per mile

April 1, 2005  $0.40 per hour  1.000 cents per mile

April 1, 2006  $0.45 per hour  1.125 cents per mile

April 1, 2007  $0.50 per hour  1.250 cents per mile

TOTAL:     $2.25 per hour  5.625 cents per mile

All regular employees still in the New Hire Progression on the effective dates of this Agreement shall receive the appropriate percentage increase of the general wage increase.

2. Casual Rates

(a) City and Combination Casuals

  A. Hourly rates for city and combination casuals (CDL required) shall increase by 85% of the general wage increase for regular employees on the dates shown in Section 1 of this Article as follows:

  Effective Dates  Hourly

  April 1, 2003  $0.43 per hour

  April 1, 2004  $0.34 per hour

  April 1, 2005  $0.34 per hour

  April 1, 2006  $0.38 per hour

  April 1, 2007  $0.43 per hour

(b) Dock Only Casuals

  Effective April 1, 2003, hourly rates for dock only casuals will increase to $15.25

  Effective April 1, 2004, hourly rates for dock only casuals will increase to $15.50

  Effective April 1, 2005, hourly rates for dock only casuals will increase to $15.75

  Effective April 1, 2006, hourly rates for dock only casuals will increase to $16.00

3. Premium Service and Sleeper Team Premiums

  (a) In the event an employer subject to this Agreement commences an approved Premium Service Operation, those Premium Service Employees shall receive an additional $0.20 per hour and/or .500 cents per mile over and above the applicable Supplemental rates.

  (b) Effective April 1, 2003, the Sleeper Team Premium will be a minimum of 2 cents per mile over and above the applicable single man rates in each Supplemental Agreement.

4. Cost of Living Adjustment Clause

All regular employees shall be covered by the provisions of a cost-of-living allowance as set forth in this Article.

The amount of the cost-of-living allowance shall be determined as provided below on the basis of the “Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers”, CPI-W (Revised Series Using 1982-84 Expenditure Patterns), All Items (1982-84=100), published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor and referred to herein as the “Index”.

Effective April 1, 2004, and every April 1 thereafter during the life of the agreement, a cost-of-living allowance will be calculated on the basis of the difference between the Index for January, 2003 (published February 2003) and the Index for January, 2004 (published February 2004) with a similar calculation for every year thereafter, as follows:

For every 0.2 point increase in the Index over and above the base (prior year’s) Index plus 3.0%, there will be a 1 cent increase in the hourly wage rates payable on April 1, 2004, and every April 1 thereafter. These increases shall only be payable if they equal a minimum of five cents ($.05) in a year.

All cost-of-living allowances paid under this agreement will become and remain a fixed part of the base wage rate for all job classifications.  A decline in the Index shall not result in the reduction of classification base wage rates.

Mileage paid employees will receive cost-of-living allowances on the basis of .25 mills per mile for each 1 cent increase in hourly wages.

In the event the appropriate Index figure is not issued before the effective date of the cost-of-living adjustment, the cost-of-living adjustment that is required will be made at the beginning of the first (1st) pay period after the receipt of the Index.