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The 80 members of Unifor Local 589 held a one-day strike recently to back their bargaining team in a tough round of negotiations with General Cable plant in Saint-Jérôme, Québec.
“Company management’s stubbornness gives us no choice but to start pressure tactics, including this first strike day,” explained John Caluori, Unifor national representative.
General Cable is demanding a three-year salary freeze, with an increase of 1.25% for the fourth year, but won’t justify the need.
“We’re a responsible union, if there really is a problem, we are ready to talk about it,” Caluori said.
The members have been without a contract for almost a year since last April. In January 2015, they rejected the company’s proposals with a 100 per cent vote. The members manufacture low- and medium-voltage insulated electric cables, primarily for Hydro-Québec.
