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Thursday, April 27, 2017 Vancouver—Contract talks between Unifor and Loomis Express may not be progressing enough to avoid job action, according to Unifor’s chief negotiator at the table. “I’m not encouraged by the pace of bargaining at this late stage,” said Todd Romanow, Unifor National Representative. “Our members deserve a contract that acknowledges their important contributions to the profitability of Loomis Express.” On April 21 Unifor’s members at Loomis voted to strike if bargaining doesn’t achieve a fair collective agreement by early May. If a dispute does unfold in May, it will affect all Loomis customers in eight provinces. Job action could also spread to the properties of TransForce (TSE:TFI), which owns Loomis in Canada. This round of bargaining with Loomis has focused on addressing respectful treatment of employees and contracting out, but Romanow is not overly optimistic at this stage. “The parties are still quite far apart on significant issues,” he said. Unifor represents 1,600 workers at Loomis Express. The membership includes hourly drivers, owner operators, call centre staff, clerical, and warehouse workers. Loomis workers are covered by a national collective agreement with associated provincial addendums. The contract expired on March 31, 2017. For more information, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at @email or 778-903-6549 (cell).
