IBEW Local 1565 (Thunder Bay, ON, Can,) Members to Vote on New Agreement

Mill workers prepare for contract vote

From the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal February 24, 2005
By Staff - The Chronicle-Journal



Workers at Thunder Bay’s Cascades paper mill have reached a tentative agreement with the company.

The workers — represented by International Union of Operating Engineers Local 865 and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1565 — reached the agreement at about 10:30 p.m. Monday. They would have been in a legal strike position at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, engineers’ union spokesman Kevin McDowell said.

The bargaining committee is recommending the membership accept the four-year deal. They’ll vote on it March 2.

He couldn’t provide any details about the current offer, but earlier said the big issue involved wages, with workers looking for a $3-per-hour increase.

McDowell said trades workers at Cascades earn about $8 less than similar trades workers at other plants.

The average wage at Cascades is currently a little less than $23 per hour.