CASTLEGAR, B.C. – United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1-405 announced today that the 11 USW members at StellerVista Credit Union at the Castlegar and Slocan Park branches have overwhelmingly rejected the employer’s last offer to settle the strike.
Following 10 days of mediation with a provincial mediator from the B.C. Labour Relations Board, the USW Bargaining Committee agreed to take back the tentative settlement to the membership without a recommendation to settle. It would be up to the membership to decide.
Following review, it was rejected by ten to one.
The employer’s concessions of lump sums in the first two years of the agreement and 2% in the third year, along with the elimination of hard-won provisions that have been in the collective agreement for decades, was the determining factor.
The USW has agreed to return to mediation July 14 and 15 but have made it clear that the membership will not accept concessions to resolve this strike.
Following mediation Monday, July 14, it appears that the employer isn’t willing to move much closer to finding a path to an agreement. The employer continues to propose lumps sums instead of wage increases – although upper management including the CEO took a 5% wage increase in 2024 – eliminate ATO (accumulated time off) and as well continue to threaten the elimination of employee banking benefits – including removing those hard-earned benefits for retirees that were offered those benefits, in writing, when they retired.
The USW bargaining committee rejected the employer’s slightly adjusted offer outright and the strike continues.
The membership in Castlegar and Slocan Park have been on strike for over 14 weeks.
USW Local 1-405 is a diverse union representing over 1,300 workers in Sawmills, Credit Unions, Insurance Services, Hotels, Ski Resorts and Municipal workers in the East and West Kootenays.
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