THUNDER BAY -- The threat of a potential strike at four city grain elevators has been averted.
About 230 workers at the local Viterra, Richardson and Superior elevators on Tuesday voted nearly 80 per cent in favour of a contract offer from the Lakehead Terminal Elevators Association, a body that represents the three companies.
Last week the workers had rejected a final offer from the elevators association, which put both parties in the legal position to implement a work stoppage.
United Steelworkers local staff representative Herb Daniher said the agreement provides workers with a nearly two per cent raise in each of the contract’s three years.
While he wouldn’t go into specifics Daniher said the union was seeking some improvements for seasonal workers that did they did not get, but they felt they had to take the more “economical” package.
The workers at the four elevators had been working without a contract since Jan. 31 and this new agreement carries them until Feb. 1, 2017.
