Owens Illinois strike ends, workers shatter glassmaker’s pattern with 20% pay hikes

MONTREAL – Workers at the Owens Illinois glassworks in Pointe-Saint-Charles, Que., have ended a nearly eight-week strike by ratifying a contract providing wage increases ranging from 14% to 20% over three years.

Members of Syndicat des Métallos/United Steelworkers Local 206G ratified the new collective agreement June 2 by a 64% majority.

In addition to 14% across-the-board wage hikes, employees in skilled trades will receive increases of $1 an hour in each of the contract’s second and third years, bringing their total pay raise to 20%.

“The company hit a brick wall. In every round of negotiations since the last strike in 1984, they’ve been trying to erode our working conditions. But no more! We refused to accept the pattern that the company is trying to impose everywhere. In Pointe-Saint-Charles, we fought for better, we got better, and we’ll be ready to fight for better in the future,” said Éric Dumas, USW Local 206G President.

The company’s two pension plans also have been improved. Under the defined-benefit pension plan, benefits will increase gradually, from $49 per month, per year of service, to $54. The employer’s contribution to the defined-contribution pension plan will increase by 0.25% to a minimum of 3% per year. The employer’s contribution also will increase in line with a worker’s increased contribution, up to a maximum of 5%.

The health and welfare benefits plan also will be improved, with coverage levels increasing to “reflect the reality of 2023,” said union staff representative Steve Galibois.

“Our members were inspired by the recent battles waged by Steelworkers across Quebec, and they were buoyed by the solidarity of Steelworkers everywhere since the strike began, and they decided to stand up and demand respect. They waged an exemplary strike, remaining determined and in good spirits throughout, which helped them to achieve their goal of improving their working conditions, beyond what Owens Illinois is usually prepared to negotiate,” Galibois added.

The Owens Illinois factory, which is over 100 years old, is the only glass manufacturer in Quebec. It produces dark beer bottles and many other types of glass containers.

The Steelworkers union previously led a sustained, public campaign for a new deposit system for glass beverage containers in Quebec, to reduce waste and increase the supply of recycled glass. The union’s campaign was successful, and the new system led to major investments in the Owens Illinois plant in 2022. The average wage at the facility is about $28 an hour.

The Syndicat des Métallos/United Steelworkers, affiliated to the FTQ, is the largest private-sector union in Quebec, representing more than 60,000 workers in all sectors of the economy.

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