Striking Unifor members at Voith ratify new contract

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After being on strike for two and a half months, members of Unifor Local 252 at Voith Hydro have ratified a new collective agreement.

“I want to congratulate Local 252 for standing up to a bully employer,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “It was clear that Voith wanted a fight, and these members prevailed.”

Gains include improvements to both the defined benefit pension plan and the Registered Retirement Savings Plan. Members voted 94 per cent in favor of the tentative agreement.

The strike began in November 2019 after the employer demanded a wage freeze and other concessions.

In January 2020, Local 252 members overwhelmingly rejected a “final offer” in a vote was held after the employer circumvented the bargaining committee using a process available through the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

“Our new contract acknowledges our members’ role in keeping Voith profitable,” said Wilson Stowel, President of Local 252.

Local 252 represents members working as coil winders at Voith Hydro in Mississauga.