COMBERMERE, ON – Employees of Pastway Planing and Wood Preserving LP in Combermere have voted to join the United Steelworkers (USW). The Pastway Planing employees voted 63% in favour of joining the USW, in a June 17 vote supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. There will be 58 members in the new union.
The Pastway Planing mill in Combermere, an eastern Ontario community about 40 minutes southeast of Algonquin Park, produces lumber and treated wood products used in decks, landscaping, fencing, boardwalks and docks.
Pastway Planing is owned by CanWel Building Materials Group, a national wholesale distributor of building materials, home renovation products and hardware. The USW represents thousands of workers in the wood, forestry and related sectors in Canada, including employees at CanWel distribution facilities in Langley, B.C. and Brampton, Ont.
“Pastway has been a successful business for many years and that will continue now that employees have joined the Steelworkers. Our union has good relations with CanWel and we look forward fruitful and mutually beneficial bargaining,” said David Lipton, USW Staff Representative.
“I congratulate the employees of Pastway Planing on their decision to give themselves a strong, collective voice in their workplace and to bring greater democracy to their working lives,” said Marty Warren, the USW’s Ontario Director.
Hundreds of workers in eastern Ontario have voted to join the USW recently, including 250 employees at Alexandria Moulding in Renfrew County and 900 employees of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Limited (formerly AECL) in Chalk River.
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For further information:
David Lipton, USW Staff Representative, 613-859-8403, 613-260-7205, dlipton@usw.ca
Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, bgallagher@usw.ca
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