Vol. 74/No. 31      August 16, 2010

The workers voted by a 75 percent majority July 8 to accept a contract that is similar in a number of ways to the one they initially rejected. New hires will have an inferior “defined contribution” pension, which ties workers’ retirement income to the performance of company investments. Bonuses tied to company profits have also been reduced.

“We made some concessions, but not as much as Vale wanted,” said Seppo Vataja, a miner for 18 years. Vataja explained that under the new contract, workers can no longer file reports on safety concerns themselves. Instead, foremen will decide whether or not the worker’s concerns merit a report.

“We didn’t get much after a whole year out,” said 36-year veteran John Landry, who helped organize protest actions in May that blocked roads to the mine in defiance of police orders. “But they didn’t break us and we are in good enough shape for the next part of the fight,” he said.

Landry was one of the nine union activists fired by Vale during the strike for allegedly violating its undisclosed “code of conduct.” He is now retiring from the company. The cases of the other eight are now before the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Three of the them still face criminal charges in relation to the May protests.

“This was my first strike,” said Rene Duguay, who has three years’ seniority. “It was a real eye-opener to see how they lie. I learned that the company doesn’t care about you. They can throw you out like a piece of trash.”

“The May blockades got their attention—who knows what we could have done if we had kept that going,” said Mike Lacelle, a third-generation miner with four years on the job. “We didn’t lose horribly. We are at the regrouping stage after a hard battle. In five years there will be more demands for concessions. The only way to stop a bully is by fighting back.”
 
 
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