Members of the United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 7619 at Teck’s Highland Valley Copper (HVC) Operations ratified a five-year collective agreement late Friday night after an 81.2% vote in favour of the new contract. The union had filed strike notice on January 10.
Ratification of the agreement comes following 42 days of discussions at the table, along with six days of mediated talks. On January 16, the parties had bargained to an impasse, and mediators Vince Ready and Corinn Bell made non-binding recommendations to take to the membership for a vote.
“We gained a significant amount of new language to improve the lives of our members, and while we were apart on wages, the membership accepted the recommendations from the mediators,” said Kyle Wolff, USW Local 7619 President. “We have worked through floods, fires, and the pandemic like all others in the province, and the lack of recognition was evident during ratification talks. Accepting this deal was a tough decision, but the majority of our members have agreed to accept the contract, so we move on.”
“I want to thank the bargaining committee for their hard work, dedication and sacrifice during this round of bargaining, and I extend a big thank you to the members for standing by the committee every step of the way,” said Wolff.
The new contract has secured an Employment Insurance top-up for 17 weeks for birth mothers on parental leave, multiple Indigenous rights, improved safety and time-off language, along with increases in wages and benefits.
First published on globeandmail.com on October 22, 2026 By Marty Warren, Special to the Globe and Mail Marty Warren, the Canadian national director of the United Steelworkers union. As I write, more workers at Hamilton’s Stelco steel mill are being laid off. In all, the plant’s U.S. owner, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., will cut up to 500 jobs. This, […]
Union representing laid-off workers makes no apology for helping enforce Canadian law TORONTO – The American CEO of the company that owns the Stelco steel mills laying off Canadian workers accused the United Steelworkers union (USW) of “colluding” with the federal government. “Damn right we’re colluding with Ottawa,” said USW national director Marty Warren. “Like […]
As Canada continues to face many challenges on the global scale, continued progress on issues affecting Indigenous workers and communities must remain a priority. In this context, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) has been building partnerships with Indigenous nations across Canada, reflecting our union’s commitment to reconciliation. Through this work, the SHF connected with the […]