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Vol. 74/No. 27      July 19, 2010

 
Ontario: Striking Steelworkers
to vote on new pact with Vale
 
BY JOHN STEELE  
MONTREAL—A tentative five-year agreement between United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6500’s bargaining committee and Vale negotiators was announced July 4 and will be submitted to a vote at union membership meetings July 7 and 8. Local 6500’s leadership is recommending a yes vote.

The 3,000 nickel miners and smelter and refinery workers in Sudbury, Ontario, have been on strike against Vale’s drive for major contract concessions since July 13 of last year. The company is seeking to cut pensions, eliminate the nickel bonus, and contract out work. It has been on a union-busting campaign to restart full production using scabs.

Negotiations between the union and Vale broke down June 30 over the fate of nine fired union activists. Hundreds of strikers turned up at the Steelworkers hall to find out what happened.

Union officials said that by June 22 the union bargaining committee and Vale had agreed on all issues except the fired workers.

USW Local 6500 demanded that the cases of the fired strikers be submitted to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) for binding arbitration. Vale refused to agree to this, saying it had a right to fire workers who violate its code of conduct. According to the USW press release, the OLRB will discuss the issue beginning July 9.

“We have to protect our members,” striker Mike Lacelle told the Militant before the tentative deal was reached. “We have to stand our ground.”
 
 
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