Refinery sets lockout as union endorses strike
Unifor delivered job action notice to the Co-operative Refinery Complex Tuesday after members voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of a strike mandate.
Kevin Bittman, president of Unifor 594, which represents about 800 refinery workers, said that didn’t automatically mean a strike would follow — except management followed up with lockout notice.
“As of 5:30 (p.m.) on Thursday we’ll be locked out of the plant,” he said.
Co-op representatives later confirmed that move in broad strokes.
“Because a 48-hour strike notice creates an unsafe operating environment for the Refinery, we have issued a 48-hour lockout notice effective 5:30 p.m. today,” said a statement from the company.
“It is vital to the safety of our operation that we control the timeline of labour action as our highly-skilled management team assumes control of the Refinery’s operation,” it continued.
The strike notice vote was held Monday evening and Tuesday morning. In a web post, the union said 97.3 per cent of members voted to strike if necessary. Bittman said that should send a strong signal to the company.
He said the bargaining committee met on Tuesday. He saw no other option than delivering the notice, due to a “toxic” relationship with management and little chance of resolving a long-standing impasse centred on pensions.
“I think we were tired of the company. We talked to them this afternoon, and they weren’t willing to budge,” he said.
“We’re at a point where we’re just done and the membership had had enough.”
Brad Delorey, Co-operative Refinery Complex spokesman, initially said the company has “no intention of locking out employees prior to Christmas.” But that was on Tuesday morning — hours before the job action notice.
“We hope Unifor chooses to use December to come back to the table and actively negotiate and not strike,” he said.
The two sides have been at loggerheads over what Unifor calls a rollback as the company aims to move workers to a defined contribution pension plan. The local says existing workers should have the option of remaining in their defined benefit plan, “like they were promised when they began working at the plant.”
The company has countered by saying it’s offering an 11.75 wage increase over four years as well as what it still “one of the best pensions in Canada.” It wants employees to contribute to their defined benefit plan or opt for an “industry-leading ” defined contribution plan.
Delorey said it’s simply “untrue”
and “a Unifor talking point” to call the pension changes a rollback.
“It’s still their money and they receive it as part of their retirement income in the future,” he said. “Likewise, the company did not cut the employee savings plan, but rather replaced it with another plan.”
Management has said it will continue running the refinery even if the workers strike. It has set up a work camp on site to house managers and contracted replacement workers.
Bittman said the vote attracted about 75 per cent of members. He said the local chose to hold the vote instead of waiting for a lockout because the relationship between labour and management was becoming unworkable.
“We were listening to members. Everything the company has done up to now has set the scenario where it was starting to make the atmosphere inside the plan toxic and dangerous,” he said.
“It’s dangerous and it’s stressful, and people just want to get it over with.”
Refinery management has insisted they will keep the facility safe, and that managers and replacement workers who will be stepping in under the business continuity plan are properly trained.
Management has insisted they’re willing to meet anytime. But Unifor said in its release the company has been stuck on the same position since mediation broke down on Nov. 12.
“They’ve been saying they’re willing to sit but they’re not willing to take the concessions off the table, and we’ve been saying until the concessions are off the table we’re not willing to sit,” Bittman said.
Delorey said it is the union that has “effectively refused to bargain” since September. He said the company is prepared to discuss several proposals “if the Unifor 594 executive is willing to engage in meaningful negotiations.”
He said the company has already booked dates for bargaining in December and wants to get a deal done.
“It is disappointing that the Unifor 594 executive chose to push for a strike vote,” he wrote. “However, it is a decision that we hope gets them back to the table.”
Scott Doherty, executive assistant to the national president and lead Unifor negotiator called the pension changes “an unnecessary concession” given the “billions in profit” the Co-op is raking in.
Bittman said much the same thing.
“We love our jobs and would always much rather be on the inside,” he said. “But this level of greed and disrespect from a socalled co-operative absolutely cannot go unchallenged.”