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Unifor Local 21-A has applied for mediation after bargaining with Great Western Containers Inc. (Industrial Container Services LLC) reached an impasse.
“The company needs to come to the table and bargain a fair agreement,” said Unifor Local 21-A Unit President Leo Botelho. “Freezing our wages for two years is an affront to all the hard work that Unifor members put into this former family-owned company.”
Unifor members at Great Western recondition Intermediate Bulk Containers, steel and plastic drums, plastic pails, metal cans, plastic bottles, steel pails, and various packaging accessories and work in the distribution of the product.
“Our bargaining committee has been working for over eight months to achieve a fair agreement but the company proposals do not reflect the contributions that our members have made towards the success of Great Western Containers,” Botelho added. “The application for mediation is needed to make the company understand we are serious and that we are intent on bargaining a fair agreement.”
Industrial Container Services (ICS) is the largest provider of reusable container products in North America. Through multiple brands, ICS operates 49 facilities in 19 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces.
“The company was sold to an American firm and the employer didn’t have the decency to tell us.”
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged.
