Steelworkers Local 6500 president John Fera said he's happy his members supported the recommendation of the bargaining committee and voted 88.7 per cent in favour of rejecting a contract proposal from Vale Inco, March 11.
At the same time, he said he's not happy that his Sudbury union members are still on strike.
“It's a tough time, it's been a tough eight months on our families, and it's been a tough eight months on our community,” he said. “Our members sent a pretty strong message yesterday, I think, that all we've ever wanted was a fair deal, and the struggle will continue until the company's willing to offer that.”
The proposal was offered by Vale Inco March 7 after more than a week of mediated talks between the union and company.
Fera said Local 6500 currently has about 2,850 members, down from 3,100 when the strike started in July 2009, mostly because so many have taken their pensions.
Of those members, 2,371 cast ballots at two membership meetings held at the Caruso Club March 11, with 2,105 voting to reject the contract, and 266 voting to accept it. Most of those who didn't show up to vote are currently working outside of Sudbury, he said.
One hundred fifteen members of Steelworkers Local 6200 in Port Colborne, who negotiate along with Local 6500 members, are due to vote on the contract today (March 12).
As members left the meeting, which was closed to the public, they brought their contracts to a fire barrel set up in the Caruso Club parking lot, and threw them in.
“I guess we continue to hope that we get back to the negotiating table, just like we had done before. We're more than willing to sit down and try to get closer, so we can get a settlement,” Fera said.
“The ball is kind of in the company's court. Their last offer just didn't do it. If they're serious about negotiating and serious about resolving the strike, all they've got to do is call. We'd be happy to sit down and do it again.”
Vale Inco spokesperson Steve Ball said the company is disappointed but not surprised that Local 6500 members rejected the contract proposal.
“The Steelworkers leadership encouraged their membership to vote no and prolong a strike that's gone on far too long already,” he said. “Their current position continues to offer little hope that the strike will be settled any time soon.”
Ball said Vale Inco has “been open to a path forward” from the beginning of the strike, and was hopeful during the latest round of negotiations that the labour dispute would be resolved.
But he said there is “little hope of a settlement” until the needs of the Steelworkers become more closely aligned to the needs of the company.
He said Vale Inco will continue with its plans to move to full production using non-striking employees and replacement workers.
“We can't allow the business to sit idle, because we have customers we have to supply and other employees that need to work.”
Fera said he told workers attending the meetings that the key issues that put the union on strike in July 2009 still hadn't been properly dealt with in the latest round of negotiations, although some progress was made.
He said some progress has been made on the pension issue.
The two-tier pension system still exists in the latest contract, but the union negotiated an increase to the existing defined benefit pension plan, and improvements to the proposed defined contribution pension plan, including a long-term disability plan that pays the same amount as the defined benefit plan.
The nickel price bonus trigger was amended to $3.50 a pound, instead of $5 a pound, which was the number included in the original contract proposal last year.
Fera said he is especially concerned about the company's plans for bringing the strikers back to work after the labour dispute ends. He said Vale Inco has not shared those plans with the union.
“We've asked them what their ramp-up program is, and they won't tell us,” he said.
“We've asked them how many people will be going back, and they won't tell us. We've asked them if there's going to be layoffs, and they won't tell us. That's a hell of a return-to-work program when we don't know who will be returning to work.”
Raymond Marier, who normally works as a heavy equipment technician at North Mine, told Northern Life before the evening meeting March 11 that he would be voting against the contract.
“It's a bit of a downfall for all of us, really," he said. "The company presented it to the union. The union had no choice but to give it to us. It puts us and the union in a predicament.”
“I can't see anybody wanting the contract. However, there are some desperate people. It's a long time to go without money. But we've got to protect our future and our past. Everybody that's ever worked for this company has got to get a little piece of the pie, whether you're retired or just starting out.”
