For local Co-op refinery workers who have been on the picket lines since Day 1, the escalation of the labour dispute this week comes down to pensions and power.
“I’m a year and a half away from retirement and what the company is doing to my pension and what they would like to do to me, it actually enrages me,” Unifor Local 594 member Daryl Watch said Friday.
Watch has worked at the refinery for 36 years and his main concern is the move to take away the surviving spouse benefit in the pension.
“I work at a refinery; I’m not living until I’m 80 or 90,” he said. “It would be nice to hit 80, but it’s more important that I would be able to take care of my wife when I’m not here, and that pension that we currently have would have done that.”
Unifor leaders announced Thursday they would be willing to discuss the pension plan if Co-op returned to the bargaining table — a switch from the union’s stance from the start of the dispute.
From his perspective, Watch said the union’s willingness to move on that requirement to return to talks puts the pressure back on the company.
“I think if we moved and said we removed that to get back to the table, and they’re not willing to go back to the table, I guess that would indicate to me and anybody in the public that’s listening or actually following this that obviously the company has a different agenda,” Watch said.
As for the company’s followup demand that Unifor take down the fences barricading the refinery, Watch believes they would come down if the company was truly ready to bargain.
“If they went there today and they really genuinely wanted to strike a deal, not only would the fences come down, but I’d be working on Monday,” he said.
Fellow Local 594 member Paul Woit described the company’s demand about the fences as a power play by Co-op.
“There comes a point when it’s not about money, (it’s) not about pensions and it’s not about anything other than simply power,” Woit said. “I think that’s what this Co-op wants to do. They want to express how much power they have and we will just adhere to whatever they say.”
Woit said when the union was willing to drop the requirement that the company never touch pensions in bargaining, it showed Unifor wants to go back to the table and talk.
“Then they said, ‘Ok, now you guys are illegally having blockades. Now you guys have got to remove that and let business go back to usual,’ ” Woit said.
“Yeah, they would go back to the table and stall and stall like they did during mediation. They stalled for a month and during that month they built their replacement worker camp. Is that fair bargaining in good faith? I don’t think so.”
Woit is also getting close to retirement but hopes to hold out for another three years until his sons finish university. He is also very concerned about potential changes to his pension.
“Financially it’s a hit, it’s a big hit and it would really change our life and my wife’s life,” Woit said, pointing to the survivor benefit as a major issue.
Woit said making sure his wife is financially secure when he’s gone is important to him.
In the midst of all the escalation, Woit said he knows there are a lot of people in the community who are upset with Unifor’s actions.
“There are some people that are upset with me,” he said. “You know what? The analogy is like the little kid going, ‘Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom.’ Yes, we’re annoying , but hopefully you forgive us when this is all said and done and let bygones be bygones.”
Regina’s mayor meets with Unifor, police chief provides update
On Friday, Unifor members headed to Regina City Hall, saying they’d like to meet with Mayor Michael Fougere in hopes of finding a solution.
Unifor’s @JerryPDias and @Unifor594 would like to meet with @MayorFougere to see if we can find a solution to the 50 day lockout at @CoopRefinery We are outside and we are a friendly bunch. #canlab pic.twitter.com/ZFALZg2HoG
— Unifor (@UniforTheUnion) January 24, 2020
Fougere said Unifor national president Jerry Dias emailed him Friday afternoon, requesting a meeting.
“He certainly expressed the position of Unifor, how they feel about what’s happening,” Fougere said following their 45-minute meeting. “I used the opportunity to express a deep concern over public safety, about public access to the refinery — being able to get in in the event of an emergency but generally speaking about safety in the city.”
Regina police chief Evan Bray put out a video on Friday and in it he said both Co-op and Unifor have agreed to dedicate one gate for emergency vehicle access, which will not be blocked.
“I think that is absolutely essential in maintaining community safety and our community should feel better as a result of that information,” Bray said.
Bray said police want to ensure they are keeping the community safe through whatever action they’re taking, suggesting it’s leaning away from any further arrests.
“Action can be investigating techniques, it can be a lot of different things but it doesn’t necessarily mean action that will escalate the situation.
“I understand not everybody will agree with that approach but it is the approach we are taking and we’re hoping that while we take that approach, other work is being done,” Bray said.
Bray pointed to the court process, but also repeated the only way this dispute can truly be solved is at the bargaining table.
Fougere once again said the city is not apart of the labour dispute between the two sides.
“There are implications to the city for public safety and of course for the police to ensure the court order is enforced but we as a city are not a party in the labour dispute,” Fougere said.
Fougere said the police act ensures no politician can instruct the police service how to act or how to conduct an investigation.