United Steelworkers Local 1-2017 has completed its’ strike vote for operations affiliated with the Council of Northern Interior Forest Industry Relations (CONIFER).

On July 10th, 2018, a Labour Relations Board hearing was held between Mount Polley Mining Corporation and USW Local 1-2017. The Local alleged that the Employer breached Section 54 of the Labour Relations Code by failing to give 60 days' notice when it laid off a significant amount of its work force in January and February of 2018.

Your bargaining committee reconvened with CONIFER on July 23rd in Prince George. Regrettably CONIFER representatives returned to the table unwilling to bargain.

Your bargaining committee, the company bargaining committee and Labour Board Mediator Dave Schaub met in Williams Lake on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 17th and 18th. These meetings proved to be very productive with agreement being reached on the majority of outstanding issues.

Our breach of Section 54 case at the BC Labour Board has resulted in an award for damages to Mount Polley Employees who were laid off in January and February of 2018. The Board has ruled that the Employer make whole any Employees who lost wages as a result of the company’s failure to give 60 days’ notice in advance of layoff. All Employees who were laid off or forced to bump to lower wage rate classifications within 60 days of December 29, 2017 should be paid for their losses.