CONTRECOEUR, Que. – Following a 10-week strike, 300 workers at ArcelorMittal’s steel mill in Contrecoeur-Ouest have secured a new collective agreement that improves wages, pensions and other working conditions. Members of United Steelworkers/Syndicat des Métallos Local 6951 voted 86.5% in foavour of ratifying the new contract, ending their strike which began Aug. 1.
The new collective agreement provides an immediate $5-per-hour wage increase for all workers. Over the contract’s six-year term, total wage increases will amount to 29.17%, or $11.25 per hour.
“Under the circumstances, this is a good contract. It significantly addresses the need for a wage catch-up, which was a key demand by our members,” said Yves Rolland, a Steelworkers union representative responsible for steel-sector issues in Quebec.
The contract also provides significant improvements to the defined-benefit pension plan, the member-funded pension plan, and to prescription drug and health-care coverage.
“We are now looking ahead and are ready to work with the employer to combat steel dumping and ensure that our plant can capture the largest possible share of the rebar market in Canada,” said Éric Piette, president of Steelworkers Local 6951.
“We’re also calling on the federal government to maintain its support program to reduce steel shipping costs in the Canadian market – beyond the current budget limits,” Piette said.
“The Steelworkers in Contrecoeur would like to thank all the other local unions that supported us during the strike,” he added. “It makes a big difference when you’re going through such a labour dispute.”
Operations at the Contrecoeur plant will resume tomorrow, Oct. 8.
The Syndicat des Métallos/United Steelworkers, affiliated with the FTQ, is the largest private-sector union in Quebec, representing more than 60,000 workers across all economic sectors.
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