National Steel Car Strike Over
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Striking United Steelworkers Local 7135 members picket in front of National Steel Car’s plant entrance. Stephen C. Host photo.
All 1,475 workers at National Steel Car, Hamilton, Ont. who belong to Local 7135 of the United Steelworkers Union (USW) have returned to work following a strike that lasted 41 days.
Workers ratified a new contract with 13% wage increase over three years, with 6% in the first year and a C$1,000 signing bonus. Members in skilled trades receive an extra C$1.00 per hour increase in each of the first and third years of the contract.
The workers struck on June 29, demanding higher wages and improved safety. The new agreement adds a workplace health and safety representative “and will improve other health and safety provisions,” according a CBC News report. Other improvements include changes to the defined-benefit and defined-contribution pension plans, and increases in shift premiums, dental care, vision care and PPE allowances.
“We believe that we achieved what we were looking for,” USW Local 7135 President Frank Crowder told the CBC. “We went out with only a 52% majority in favor of a strike, but our presence on the picket line was 100%”
