A strike involving 15,000 members of a carpenters’ union in Ontario has come to an end. The Carpenter’s District Council of Ontario (CDCO), United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America announced on May 27 that a tentative agreement has been approved.
The CDCO said 15,000 members in 14 locals throughout Ontario who work in the industrial, commercial and institutional sector of the construction industry will be heading back to work. The union said most employers should begin work as soon as May 31, with some projects needing more time to ramp up, which should occur shortly after that date.
The CDCO said 77% of members voted in favour of the new agreement. It was also passed in the “vast majority” of each of the local unions which was also a requirement for approval, the CDCO said.
The strike began earlier in May, with the union saying it wanted to see an increase in wages for its workers amid high inflation and the rising cost of living. According to Rod Thompson, senior rep for Ottawa, “This agreement recognizes the crisis of affordability in Ontario and ever rising cost of living the members fought for and achieved a better agreement by withdrawing their labour. Now it’s back to work and back to building Ontario.”
Source: Global News
Source: Ontario Construction News
