Unifor members at Windsor Salt mine to begin job action

WINDSOR, ON, Feb. 16, 2023 /CNW/ - Concessionary demands for contracting out work are among the issues that will force Unifor Locals 1959 and 240 to begin legal strike action at Windsor Salt tonight at midnight.

"When the employer comes with concessions and schemes to bust the union, Unifor members are going to fight back every time," said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. "Workers at Windsor Salt have the full backing of our union."

This round of bargaining is the first since Windsor Salt was purchased by Stone Canyon Industries in 2021, a U.S-based private holding firm. Negotiations are stalled as the company's representatives refuse to discuss any monetary items without agreements from the union to allow widespread contracting out of union jobs, says Unifor.

"Their intent is clear: the company wants to weaken the union and populate the mine with more insecure and generally lower-paying jobs," said Bill Wark President of Local 1959. "We can have good faith discussions on wage increases, but we will not allow the company to weaken union protections in the workplace. It's a non-starter."

"This company has relied on workers to show up day in and day out for the last three years, while they made profits and now they refuse to negotiate with the union unless we accept their concessions," said Jodi Nesbitt, President of Local 240.

Unifor represents workers across three units at the mine. Local 240 represents the office workers and Local 1959 represents workers at the Ojibway Mine and a separate unit at the evaporation processing fields. Nearly 250 unionized workers will be on strike at the mine.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor