Four Sask. players named to Canada world junior hockey championship team
Dec 14, 2024
Berkly Catton, Brayden Yager, Caden Price and Tanner Howe were all named.
Members of the union representing employees at the Co-op Refinery Complex have voted 89 per cent against the final contract offered by the company.
The union agreed March 20 to the recommendations of mediator Vince Ready, but the company said March 23 it couldn’t accept all of the suggestions in the report.
The company then made a final offer and forced a vote, the results of which were announced Wednesday.
“Co-op had every reason to be satisfied with the mediators’ recommendations, but they got greedy,” Unifor national president Jerry Dias said in a media release. “Regina’s refinery workers have sent a clear message to Premier (Scott) Moe: Impose the mediators’ recommendations and end this dispute.”
Workers at the refinery were locked out Dec. 5 after they filed strike notice.
The union has asked the province to pass back-to-work legislation, but Moe’s government has resisted those demands. However, the province did appoint a special mediator.
The union held a drive-by rally at the Legislative Building on Wednesday in hopes of getting the government involved once again.
Upon learning the results of the vote, Moe rejected the union’s call for a back-to-work mandate from the provincial government.
Asked if he would consider recalling the legislature to enforce a deal proposed by Ready, the premier said that wasn’t an option.
“If (enforcing a binding agreement) was to be done, that would be unprecedented in the province’s history and I’m aware of very few cases, if any across Canada, where that has actually occurred,” Moe said. “This is a private sector labour dispute.”
Moe said he understands Minister of Labour Relations Don Morgan will be reaching out to both sides to determine the next steps going forward.
During the rally, Local 594 president Kevin Bittman predicted the offer would be rejected.
“Bargaining has failed and it’s time to legislate us back to work under the Ready recommendations,” Bittman told reporters at the legislature.
“The company put a final offer on the table that included a return to work. The final offer doubled the concessions of the special mediator so really it takes double out of our pockets.”
Bittman said the mediator’s recommended deal would take between $8,000 and $10,000 every year and Unifor voted to accept those terms. He said the company countered with an offer that would take between $15,000 and $20,000 away per year and was vague on the terms of return to work agreements.
In its own media release, the CRC said it was “disappointed” that the union members had rejected the company’s offer.
“The CRC will be required to make significant changes to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, and to protect our refinery and jobs long-term,” Gil Le Dressay, the vice-president of refinery operations, said in the release. “Recent developments in our industry have only accelerated those challenges we have been highlighting since the negotiations began with Unifor Local 594.
“It is our hope the union membership will soon understand that the only deal that balances their requirements and also achieves long-term certainty for CRC is our best and final offer.”
The refinery has been operated by managers and replacement workers since the lockout began.
Le Dressay said the facility will continue to meet market demands, including those of farmers who are preparing to start their operations for the year.
Rally in Regina
Hundreds of vehicles turned out with horns blaring and Unifor flags flying to drive past the Saskatchewan Legislative Building on Wednesday.
Workers stayed in their trucks in a parade held at the same time as the vote count on the refinery’s offer was being conducted.
A very different style of social distance rally is underway at the legislature with a long line of vehicles honking and some flying Unifor flags. To their word no one has left a vehicle or gathered in crowds. pic.twitter.com/0Z4k992Lem
— Adriana Christianson (@AdrianaC_JME) April 29, 2020
As oil prices have taken a huge dive in the past few weeks, Bittman said those actually make refinery input costs lower so it shouldn’t matter in the context of this long-term labour dispute.
When asked about a concern over losing more public support with the rally in an economic climate which has seen so many people lose their jobs and livelihoods, Bittman pointed to the long-term picture saying COVID-19 is a blip in the economy and demand will return to normal eventually.