April 12, 2023 at 5:00 am
Unifor Local 444 has begun negotiations on the first contracts for TQRSS workers.
The Lakeshore company makes seat belts for the auto industry and employs about 600 people.
Employees voted to unionize in January.
“They haven’t been organized since 1986, so they’re obviously paying their workers the right wages and keeping the union out, they haven’t gotten a raise for the last four years, and they want to unionize,” Unifor Local explain. 444 President Dave Cassidy.
This is one of the largest union memberships since Unifor was formed.
Cassidy said this is only the first step in contract negotiations.
“It’s not about us fighting them, it’s about us getting the right deal together. They understand we need to make sure we get growth in wages, pensions, etc. They understand where we stand, so we’re going to get over them and work together. Work hard and keep our members happy,” Cassidy said.
There is currently no deadline set.