IMP Aerostructures workers on strike to reverse years of declining wages and living standards
13 Agosto 2024 - 12:56PM
Struggling under the weight of rising inflation, workers at IMP
Aerostructures in Amherst, N.S., are on strike to recover from
years of real wage losses.
“We have fallen so far behind, we need to start making up for
lost ground, in a big way,” said Mike Blenkhorn, President of
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 4883, the union representing 150
workers at the IMP Aerostructures plant in Amherst. The workers
manufacture parts and components for commercial aircraft.
“The workers at this plant have made tremendous sacrifices over
the years, and particularly during the pandemic, to ensure this
company’s success,” Blenkhorn said.
“At the same time, our real wages have actually decreased, while
the cost of living has soared. We have a lot of catching up to do,
and it’s time for the ultra-wealthy owners of this company to share
the wealth.”
In their most-recent collective agreement, which expired at the
end of March this year, the workers agreed with the company’s
request for a three-year wage freeze. Combined with a previous
contract, over the last five years the workers’ wages have
increased by a miniscule average of 0.25% per year. Meanwhile, the
cost of living has skyrocketed by double digits, meaning the
workers’ real wages and living standards have fallen
significantly.
One IMP worker with nearly 30 years of service calculated that
his hourly wages have increased by an average of only 26 cents, per
year, during his entire career with the company.
“Our members clearly understand how their work and their
sacrifices have been undervalued and under-appreciated by this
company, for years,” Blenkhorn said.
“The decision by our members to strike was a last resort. We’ve
given the company every opportunity to do the right thing, but they
have refused to acknowledge the reality that our members and their
families are facing.”
The workers have held three separate votes on contract offers
from IMP, and in each case the offers were rejected overwhelmingly.
The company’s last offer was rejected by a 93% margin.
“Our members are just as deserving as other workers in the
manufacturing industry who have negotiated major improvements that
recognize the value of their work and the cost-of-living crisis,”
said Myles Sullivan, the USW’s Director for Ontario and Atlantic
Canada.
“Our members are ready to get back to the bargaining table at
any time to negotiate a fair contract with the improvements they
need and that they have earned,” Sullivan said.
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic
sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in
North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States
and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because
of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and
more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working
conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits
and pensions.
Contacts:
Mike Blenkhorn, President, USW Local 4883, 902-664-4703,
mblenkhorn1234@gmail.comCarla Thibodeau, USW Area
Co-ordinator, Atlantic Canada, 506-626-4268, cthibodeau@usw.caMyles
Sullivan, Director, USW District 6 (Ontario and Atlantic Canada),
416-243-8792