Dare Foods

Nov 27, 2022

The union is seeking an 18-per-cent increase over a three-year period, while the employer is offering 13.25 per cent over four years. Author of the article: Article content Unionized employees at the Dare Foods plant in Ste-Martine in the Montérégie launched an indefinite general strike on Sunday morning as part of their wage demands. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or Dare Foods workers in Ste-Martine launch indefinite strike Back to video The 100 or so members of the Union of Professional and Clerical Employees, Local 574 (SEPB-574), had voted 85 per cent in favour of a strike mandate on Nov. 13. Montreal Gazette Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Montreal Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address Sign Up By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Montreal Gazette Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Article content Union president Mario Longtin said the pressure on management was “necessary” after more than 18 months of negotiations. “We were there. It has been since December 2021 that we have been in intense negotiations, and therefore we no longer had a choice”, he said in an interview. Advertisement 2 Article content According to a statement issued on Sunday, the union had demanded an 18-per-cent increase over a three-year period, while the employer was offering 13.25 per cent over four years. The employer’s offer is insufficient to ensure the retention of personnel within the plant, especially in the context of a labour shortage, Longtin said. “We’ve had a lot of turnover for a few years … because the salaries are not high enough,” he said. He said the union had made several proposals to the employer, but they had all been refused. “We want recognition for the last years we spent,” Longtin said. “We worked very hard during the confinement, and we got nothing in return”, adding that the patience of the union members was “at the end.” Advertisement 3 Article content The management of Dare Foods declined the interview request from The Canadian Press. Reached by email, Mylène Forget, public relations officer for the company, said management would not grant any interviews in order to “maintain a climate of respectful negotiations”. “Negotiations with the union representing the employees of the Ste-Martine plant are still continuing today with the aim of reaching an agreement satisfactory to both the employees and the company,” said an email sent on Saturday. The union’s collective agreement expired in April 2021. Dare Foods is due to inaugurate a new production line at the Ste-Martine plant in December, a project that could be disrupted because of the strike.