He said the contract doesn’t address seniority rights, whether or not the strikers who have been fired because of their actions during the strike will be allowed to go back to work, or how workers will be brought back after the strike as production ramps up again.
However, he said he is happy that Vale Inco has made compromises on some issues, including the nickel bonus and wages.
Mediation talks broke down between Vale Inco and Steelworkers Local 6500 last weekend, and no new talks have been scheduled.
However, union members have a chance to vote on the five-year contract proposal offered by Vale Inco at two meetings today, March 11, which are taking place at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Caruso Club.
Union leaders will not speak about the details of the proposal before the meeting, although Vale Inco has posted it on its website, www.valeinconegotiations.com.
Amyotte said he will wait to hear what his union’s leaders have to say about the contract proposal before deciding how he will vote. He said he predicts 80 or 90 per cent of union members will vote to reject the contract proposal.
On the Copper Cliff smelter picket line, Michael Doyle and Dan Doussept took time out of supervising a long line of trucks crossing the picket line to speak to Northern Life about the contract proposal. Doyle said he will not comment on the contract proposal until he hears the opinion of his union’s leaders.
He said it “ticks him off” that Vale Inco has posted the contract proposal on its website. “It’s no one else’s business until the membership has their say on what’s going on first. It’s between us and the company. It just creates more hard feelings.”
Doyle said he had a lot of hope when the mediated talks were ongoing last week, but now he fears he could be on strike for another nine months to a year.
Doussept said he hasn’t had a chance to look at the contract proposal online, but from what his union’s leaders are saying “it’s not much different from the original proposal that was offered to us.” He said he does find it promising that Vale Inco has moved on some of its positions.
“Eight months ago, they gave us their final offer. It appears they’ve moved from their final offer, and given in a little more. Maybe in another eight months, we’ll have a fair deal. You never know.”
Like Doyle, Doussept said he’ll decide how he’s voting after listening to what his union leaders have to say.
Northern Life also caught up to several Steelworkers waiting in line to receive a $75 bonus strike pay cheque at the union’s hall on Brady Street March 9. Mike Prevost said he will “definitely” vote against Vale Inco’s contract proposal.
Although the proposal brings the nickel bonus trigger point down to $3.50 a pound from $5 a pound, he said it’s still a concession, because the current trigger point is $2.25 a pound. There is also a “return to production” bonus, which will be meted out over nine months, as long as certain production standards are met.
“We get $3,000 at the end of nine months, if they meet the quota that they set out, which they’ll never be able to do,” Prevost said. “The first six months we get back, they’ll be lucky to get back to half production.”
Umberto Pisani, who has worked at Vale Inco for nearly 36 years, said he actually has enough seniority to retire, but decided to stick out the strike “to show that I can keep on going.” He said he is most concerned about younger workers.
“For the young people, there is nothing there. In three, four, five years, there is nothing there. An 80 cent (per hour) raise in five years? That’s peanuts, especially since nickel is probably going to go up to $15 a pound. They’ll be making billions again, and eight months later, we’re nothing.”
Jon Hamilton said he thinks its “sad” that Vale Inco “felt the need” to post the contract proposal online before the union could present it to its members. “I think it was just a ploy to look good in front of the labour board and get themselves out of possibly having to pay us a large sum of money, just because they don’t want to bargain,” he said. “I really hope (the vote has) a high percentage of no.”
