THUNDER BAY — Approximately 15,000 carpenters employed in the industrial, commercial and institutional sector walked off the job Monday across Ontario.
The strike follows ratification votes on an employer offer which were held by every local union of the Carpenters' District Council of Ontario.
According to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, members voted over 75 per cent to reject the offer.
The union says the key issue in dispute is wages.
"The consumer price index went up by 6.7 per cent last month right in the middle of negotiations, and that is the issue of the day for our members," said a spokesperson quoted by CP24.
An official with Local 1669 in Thunder Bay declined immediate comment on the strike, but local members were said to be picketing at one location in the city at least.
In a press release last week, the Carpenters' District Council said “Carpenters, like other construction workers, kept working on jobsites to build critical infrastructure all the way through the COVID crisis. Their work was seen as essential during the pandemic and because of this, and because of spiralling cost of living increases, our union and our members believe that wages now have to be increased.”
Thousands of other Ontario workers - members of the International Union of Operating Engineers - who operate cranes and heavy equipment also remain on strike.
