November 15, 2022 at 11:01 am
Sam Caetano of the United Food and Commercial Workers union said the union “asks for money, and the company only provides pennies,” and he is waiting for a mediator to join the talks between the union and Highbury Canco.
“We’re very far apart,” said Caetano, the UFCW regional director who represents about 800 workers at the Leamington plant.
The Labor Department appointed a mediator, but the two sides are still waiting for talks to begin.
Wages are the main sticking point between the two sides.
Highbricanko’s last contract expired almost 11 months ago.
On Saturday, workers will vote on whether to give the union a strike mandate in support of demands on the table. Voting for the strike begins at 10am at the Leamington Portuguese Club on Talbot Street West.
Highbury Canco bought the plant in 2014 after Heinz announced it would close more than a century after Leamington began operations.