There have been 25 bargaining sessions.
Rolls-Royce Canada locked out 530 workers at the Côte-de-Liesse aircraft engine maintenance factory in Montréal while they were attending a general meeting to discuss progress at the bargaining table on 15th of March.
Some 530 aircraft engine maintenance workers have been without a collective agreement for two years since March 2020.
There have been 25 bargaining sessions over the past few months, and members have followed the progress closely. There is strong support for the bargaining committee. Negotiations had been progressing slowly, and at the meeting, workers voted 94% in favor of giving their union a mandate to call a strike at the appropriate time. During the meeting, the president of the company declared a lockout (This is not the luxury car maker, but rather the spun-off aircraft business. ). The union responded by exercising its mandate immediately and called a strike.
“We find it unconscionable that the company in the middle of negotiations opted for a lockout rather than a social dialogue, particularly bearing in mind that the 530 specialized workers at the Côte-de-Liesse factory have been without a collective agreement since March 2020,” said IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.
The picketing workers have been outside the factory gates since the beginning of the lockout at 1pm on March 15. The workers are represented by IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Syndicat des travailleuses et des travailleurs de Rolls-Royce Canada (CSN). The union wants a five-year contract. Among other things, they are demanding the elimination of orphan clauses in the pension and group insurance plans, improved wages and work schedules, and enhanced leave.
“For months we have been arguing at the bargaining table for the needs of Rolls-Royce workers to be taken into account,” explains union president Frédéric Labelle. “The employer’s response has been disappointing. The more dismissive they are, the more our sense of belonging erodes. We are the core of this business. Without our work, which is recognized in the industry as being of outstanding quality, Rolls-Royce could not call itself a leader. We want to be treated with respect again.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Failed Negotiations, Lockout – Rolls-Royce Canada on Strike
There have been 25 bargaining sessions.
Rolls-Royce Canada locked out 530 workers at the Côte-de-Liesse aircraft engine maintenance factory in Montréal while they were attending a general meeting to discuss progress at the bargaining table on 15th of March.
Some 530 aircraft engine maintenance workers have been without a collective agreement for two years since March 2020.
There have been 25 bargaining sessions over the past few months, and members have followed the progress closely. There is strong support for the bargaining committee. Negotiations had been progressing slowly, and at the meeting, workers voted 94% in favor of giving their union a mandate to call a strike at the appropriate time. During the meeting, the president of the company declared a lockout (This is not the luxury car maker, but rather the spun-off aircraft business. ). The union responded by exercising its mandate immediately and called a strike.
“We find it unconscionable that the company in the middle of negotiations opted for a lockout rather than a social dialogue, particularly bearing in mind that the 530 specialized workers at the Côte-de-Liesse factory have been without a collective agreement since March 2020,” said IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.
The picketing workers have been outside the factory gates since the beginning of the lockout at 1pm on March 15. The workers are represented by IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Syndicat des travailleuses et des travailleurs de Rolls-Royce Canada (CSN). The union wants a five-year contract. Among other things, they are demanding the elimination of orphan clauses in the pension and group insurance plans, improved wages and work schedules, and enhanced leave.
“For months we have been arguing at the bargaining table for the needs of Rolls-Royce workers to be taken into account,” explains union president Frédéric Labelle. “The employer’s response has been disappointing. The more dismissive they are, the more our sense of belonging erodes. We are the core of this business. Without our work, which is recognized in the industry as being of outstanding quality, Rolls-Royce could not call itself a leader. We want to be treated with respect again.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.