Carpenters reach a tentative agreement to end Ontario strike

WATERLOO REGION Carpenters vote Friday on a tentative agreement to end their strike in the institutional-commercial-industrial sector.

A double majority must vote in favour of the proposed contract for carpenters in the ICI section of the union — that is, a majority of the 14 local unions, and a majority of the members who voted must approve the tentative deal, said Mike Yorke, president of the Carpenters District Council of Ontario.

In this region, the striking carpenters are members of Local 785 of the Carpenters and Joiners Union of America. For the members of that local, and the 15,000 others who went on strike, the main issue is the rising cost of living, said Yorke.

“We worked diligently with our respective employer groups and have fashioned an agreement that reflects the current economic affordability crisis and one which we believe the members in Ontario will accept and ratify,” said Yorke in a prepared statement.

Ratification of the tentative agreement is not certain. The overwhelming majority of carpenters rejected the last contract offer, and supported the strike.

Construction sites in the institutional-commercial-industrial sector in the region were hit by rotating picket lines beginning May 9. Many of the striking carpenters didn’t actually stop work, since they found jobs in other sectors such as residential construction.

The union represents about 30,000 men and women in carpentry, drywall, resilient flooring, concrete form work, and underwater construction, among other work.

‘‘ We worked diligently with our respective employer groups and have fashioned an agreement that reflects the current economic affordability crisis.

MIKE YORKE PRESIDENT OF THE CARPENTERS DISTRICT COUNCIL OF ONTARIO