Voisey's Bay talks resume Sept. 19

Sep 02, 2010- 10:16 AM

By: Sudbury Northern Life Staff

Talks between Vale and the union representing striking workers in Voisey's Bay will resume later this month.

About 200 members of the United Steelworkers have been on strike against Vale since early August 2009.

Union representative Boyd Bussey reportedly told CBC News that Vale officials and the Steelworkers will start two days of talks on Sept. 19.

"I'm optimistic, as I'm always optimistic, that every time we go back we expect and hope to get a deal," Bussey told CBC.

"We still have some major issues that are outstanding, and the union is prepared to give a little and the company has to be prepared to give a little and we can get a deal."

Nearly year-long strikes between Vale and Steelworkers Local 6500 in Greater Sudbury and Steelworkers Local 6200 in Port Colborne were settled in early July.

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18 Comments

Phillip Morris 9/10/2010 11:11:43 AM - Report Abuse

How do you explain local 2020 not striking? Then 6500 taking nearly the identical Fair Deal? Nearly the same offer put out 12 months prior?
Company to blame? Hardly.

Everyone knows the misinformation and grand Global Union Legacy was the crux of 6500's near suicidal strike. The rank-and-file were manipulated in a game of propaganda, rhetoric, and 1/2 truths. Only when the threat of mutiny came did the executive start panic and accept the economic truth.

Deluh, its far too early to attempt revisionist history. Remember, the last deal cost Vale tens of millions in losses in the last 1/4 the USWofA worked. Things needed to change.
Delaware 9/8/2010 9:49:02 AM - Report Abuse

Companies ALWAYS dictate if there will be a strike or not.Offer the workers a comparable package to similar companies,and it will be accepted.

On the other hand,if companies want to 'squeeze' the supply and demand ratio,then offer the workers a contract full of concessions.Obviously the the union will turn it down,and the company then blames the workers for shutting down production.

This ruse is standard procedure
camoman 9/4/2010 12:15:19 PM - Report Abuse

...CHUM...
The first offer was so full of concessions that no one in their right mind could vote for it; there for vale FORCES the first NO vote and a strike ensued…
The second offer was INCOMPLETE, so no one in their right mind could vote for it; There for vale forces a second NO vote and the strike is still on going …The third and only COMPLETE OFFER that we got to vote on was ACCEPTED...A blind person could see that vale FORCED THIS STRIKE... But Why???There has to be a reason,right... vale HAD to keep the plants down and us out, to complete a lot their capital projects, because this work could not be done with the plants running...vale also gets to save money on wages if they keep us on strike PLUS deplete the stocks of the specialty products that we produce which drives the realized price higher for these products...vale also gets to claim “Force Majeure”, which basically frees the company from its obligations or contracts, so when the strike is over vale can and will renegotiate their contracts at a higher price, and make better money...
Why do you think vale didn't put this offer on the table right at the start??? Because they knew the members WOULD accept it, THAT'S WHY, and that WOULD NOT be beneficial to vale now would it…
So if you think vale didn’t plan and FORCE this strike right from the start, you’re dead wrong...Do some research and you will be very surprised with your findings...CHUM…
northside 9/4/2010 9:28:41 AM - Report Abuse

Camoman states==Does anyone think that a FORCED STRIKE of over a year makes for a good working RELATIONSHIP...Where do you come up with forced strike statement,,members were free to vote whatever way they wanted,,no one held a gun to your head and said to vote strike,,it's your own doing..just suck it up and accept the fact you have a crappy union and now are even more leaderless than a year ago..Vale will pound a good working relationship into you guys sooner or later,,for your own good it better be sooner rather than later..There are people out there that would be happy to take your place and would have a better outlook on working for Vale than the poisioned attitude of USW union members like yourself...........
northside 9/3/2010 6:08:11 PM - Report Abuse

VB guys are going for a record, out longer than the Sudbury guys..Lot of good it will do them as Vale will show these guys also that the union does not run the business of mining as they did here in Sudbury....
Northern Guy 9/3/2010 5:28:08 PM - Report Abuse

So RobertHood, aka Melonbob, what 'real' workplace experience are you talking about? If you're referring to having three different jobs with three different employers in three different parts of the country in the span of a few months, you win first prize.
Why would you even care about Vale employees? You abandoned your brudders long ago and don't even live in VB or Sudbury. Are the people you work with now aware of your not having a spine?
sean10 9/3/2010 3:00:11 PM - Report Abuse

useless USW!!!!!
tigerclaw 9/3/2010 1:54:56 PM - Report Abuse

The union holding the employees of vale hostage in Voiseys Bay have proven they are complete morons and not a benefit to anybody. I surely hope they abandon this union who has proven time and time again they are corrupt and only care for their hero, Big Leo.
tigerclaw 9/3/2010 1:51:33 PM - Report Abuse

Further proof Camoman is not an employee of Vale. There is no hardship going on at the mines with the employees or with the supervisors. The only ones submitting grievances are the radicals who spend more time getting out of work then actually doing it. Very few are like this. Word is that the union hall is promoting chaos in the papers to try to gain back popularity with the membership. Not working. Things are going smooth and people like Camoman have to learn that most arent as stupid and ignorant to situations like he is. Get a job camoman and get your life in order instead of printing union crap in the local paper.
RobertHood 9/3/2010 11:37:37 AM - Report Abuse

@camoman...

Man you hit it all square on the head....LOL.

It's great to read the anti's comments based on rhetoric and it's so obvious they have no real experience in the real workplace.
camoman 9/3/2010 11:11:54 AM - Report Abuse

I was talking to a few people in Voisey’s and they tell me that they have a SCAB INFESTATION out there too; although it’s not as bad as the SCAB PLAGUE was here in SUDBURY…
As it turns out harsh working conditions, unforgiving weather, and being stuck in the middle of nowhere is a major deterrent or CURE for SCABS…
And add to the fact that HONOUR and INTEGRITY is something that people out there hold in high regard…(Go figure)…
camoman 9/3/2010 11:11:33 AM - Report Abuse

But getting back to Sudbury…The place is in shambles, it goes to show you that trying to run an operation like this with people who don’t know what they’re doing can’t be done…
All you have to do is look at the amount and colour of the smoke coming out of the stack and you can see that this is how REAL NICKLE is made…
I predict that the next major spanking is coming to staff and they know it; vale is over a 2 to 1 ratio, staff to hourly and staff is very nervous and edgy to say the least right now…
It’s quite comical to watch them running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to get up and running in record time and also trying to hit the production records that we set for the 2 years before the strike…(I guess employee involvement is a key to set records)…I also noticed that there are 2 styles of management that they are using…
1… the nice boss, the one who is kind, fair and who asks you to forgive and forget the past year, and asks for your input so he can achieve greatness…
2… the scary boss. The one who threatens you with your job , the one who is always sneaking around trying to catch you doing something wrong, the one who tries to intimidate you into doing more work…(This one is my favorite, you can have so much fun with this kind of boss( they’re usually not very bright), and it doesn’t bother you as much when you nail his butt and show upper management the incompetent DOLT that he is)
camoman 9/3/2010 11:11:10 AM - Report Abuse

vale Sudbury WILL make nickel, just that they WON”T make as much, or make it as cheap as they did before the strike…
Like I have always said “ A HAPPY WORKER IS A PRODUCTIVE WORKER”; you keep kicking your workers in the nads they tend to get angry and will retaliate, one waty or the other…
I also predict that before Christmas, there will be some major changes in the hierarchy of the Sudbury operations…
Northern Guy 9/3/2010 8:38:23 AM - Report Abuse

My prediction of how future talks will go....
Union - We want the company to agree to pay for a full-time union president in VB.
Vale - No... never.
..................The End..............
noofie 9/3/2010 8:00:14 AM - Report Abuse

The saddest thing is, clinnical1, Vale will recover quickly and be running at a higher production rate than before because the Union no longer runs the place. The higher production rates and reduced union foolishness will be a legacy for Vale from this strike.

The members however will be 10 - 12 years recovering financially to reach the place they were 16 months ago. Broken families will never recover.

"HAHAHAAH PHIL" those facts. Get back on some meds!
noofie 9/2/2010 5:43:59 PM - Report Abuse

I don't know what Tim Hortons you're getting your info from clinnical1 but it's not whats happening. Perhaps someone from, say, the smelter, could chip in and tell us how things are, production wise.

If you believed what Vale was quoting as production levels achieved, you probably believed everything the USW said too........you're more clinical than cynnical dear
Top Gun 9/2/2010 10:37:01 AM - Report Abuse

What do you expect? Another commie like the bus driver he supports.
Phillip Morris 9/2/2010 10:31:29 AM - Report Abuse

The last of Leo's Global Legacy project.

Hung out to dry, VB has no wiggle room. No rhetoric or promises from Pittsburgh can change they were duped by union misinformation.

Strange how Leo has been in hiding since his project had collapsed. Not a peep. A now show in Sudbury, and not a word on the national news.