Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter not as a Steelworker, but as a resident of Flin Flon.
In the late ’90s Hudbay management assured all residents of the Flin Flon-Snow Lake areas that with a long-term agreement we would have a well-trained, well-paid workforce and that all communities would flourish.
I ask all residents in our communities if that is what you see. When I look at Snow Lake, I see a community that is receiving no investment from Hudbay. That makes Flin Flon’s future crystal clear.
The insulting proposals from Hudbay during bargaining only prove that this company has no intention of fulfilling the promises made 15 years ago.
Our communities thrive on wages, not quarterly reports. Corporate greed has become the norm in our age and needs to be stopped. As upper management’s wages continue to soar, our wages and benefits are constantly under siege.
With Hudbay having a net worth of $2.5 billion, why is our infrastructure crumbling? Why are our taxes through the roof? Why do I keep hearing the phrase “dying city” when people speak of our communities?
Make no mistake, Hudbay owes every bit of its prosperity to these communities and needs to make good on promises made in the past.
These unions have no history of labour unrest. Frustration and arrogance have pushed us all to the breaking point. We all know if not corrected this trend will continue until there is nothing left here but a camp.
Our businesses, homes and futures depend on forcing Hudbay to live up to the promises that were made. Our local unions cannot accomplish this without the assistance of the people whose futures are dependent on a well-paid, well-trained workforce.
If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask our members on the picket line or better yet, pick up a sign for a few minutes and help show Hudbay that these are our brothers, sisters and neighbours, not radicals.
Remember, we live here by choice, not by appointment.
Todd McCombie
Flin Flon
