Hudbay and United Steelworkers Local 7106 are preparing for another round of conciliation as the company’s largest union gets ready to discuss the possibility of a strike vote.
The two sides met with a conciliator for three days last week, leaving Steelworkers president Tom Davie disappointed.
“We spent from 12- to 16-hour days…and in our opinion didn’t move too far forward,” said Davie.
Davie said the two sides agreed to add two more arbitrators’ names to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and to leave the health plan as is.
But the minor language changes agreed upon do not include anything “significant to ensure our members a smooth working relationship” for the duration of a three-year deal, Davie said.
He said the Steelworkers and Hudbay are now scheduled to participate in another round of conciliation at the end of May.
Asked whether the Steelworkers will hold a strike vote, and whether a strike vote would carry, Davie said that will be discussed with the membership in the near future.
The Steelworkers scheduled a bargaining update for members in Snow Lake yesterday and in Flin Flon today.
More sought
Davie said Hudbay employees deserve more from the company after signing the so-called 2012 agreement.
That deal, concluded in the 1990s when the company was owned by Anglo American plc, barred strikes and lockouts until 2015 (some Hudbay union members have argued the true date was 2012).
“We were told and believed that with the signing of the 2012 agreement that in Hudbay’s time of need that we were to take [a] hit for them with promise of a brighter future,” Davie said. “Well for those 15 years we slowly fell behind industry standards and into complacency where management was able to belittle, disrespect and abuse their workforce. Now the time has come where HB went from a smaller, hurting company to a thriving mid-tier global company
traded on the New York Stock Exchange and they are still crying wolf and
suppressing their
employees.”
Davie said the Steelworkers began bargaining last November and have now presented Hudbay with their entire proposal.
He hopes to improve contractual language to speed up the grievance procedure and arbitration.
“We are tired of waiting an average of 14 months before we see an arbitrator to rule on our grievance,” Davie said. “There were discussions on expedited arbitration but nothing better than what we currently have in our CBA, which doesn’t work at all.”
Davie said the Steelworkers believe Hudbay “has made little effort to meet even close to a middle ground” with the union.
“As far as monetary [issues], the ball is in Hudbay’s court,” he added. “We are anticipating a response at the end of May.”
With about 650 members, the Steelworkers represent 45 per cent of Hudbay’s northern Manitoba workforce.
Given that the Steelworkers are still under contract, its members are obligated to cross the picket lines of striking IAM Local 1848 members.
Davie said there’s been no animosity.
“It’s great to see their and our members standing together against a bully,” he said.
“IAM members have made this a very easy process. Our members have and are walking with them before and after their shifts are over. If anything has happened over this, it has united our cause for a fair and just collective agreement. Let’s face it, everyone working here is behind the industry standards in every aspect of their respective CBAs.”
Davie said the Steelworkers encourage members and residents to visit the picket lines to show their support for IAM.
The Reminder offered Hudbay a chance to comment on negotiations with the Steelworkers but had not heard back by press time.
