TORONTO — The strike by Ontario’s unionized sheet metal workers in the ICI sector entered its second week May 13 but the two sides are reported to have agreed to resume meetings.
Darryl Stewart, executive director of the Ontario Sheet Metal Contractors Association, said May 12 the Sheet Metal Workers Employee Bargaining Agency (SMWEBA) has contacted his association indicating a willingness to meet.
Earlier in the week, Stewart said the union refused to talk about two basic issues: length of the work week and use of union hall hiring rolls.
Possible dates for meetings have been proposed for this week and next week. The SMWEBA has not returned messages asking for comment.
Meanwhile, on May 10 Carpenters’ union Local 27, Ontario’s largest Carpenters’ local, announced ratification of a tentative agreement on its Facebook page.
“We would like to thank all the members of Local 27 that participated in the collective bargaining process in all sectors of the construction industry, especially the ICI and residential sectors. All the Local 27 Carpenters’ union agreements are now ratified, we are looking forward to another great summer of work,” the statement said.
Members of the Labourers’ International Union of North America in all regions were set to vote on tentative agreements on May 13 with the results to be announced May 14.
The unionized ICI trades negotiate every three years in Ontario as mandated by provincial legislation. March 1 marked the start of open season for negotiations, with current contracts having expired April 30 unless negotiating parties agreed to extensions.
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