Molson workers vote for strike mandate over issue of wages

“Members clearly demonstrated their anger at this union meeting” with 99 per cent voting against the company’s offer.

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The 320 unionized workers at the Molson plant in Longueuil voted 99 per cent on Sunday against the employer’s wage offer and for a strike mandate.

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“Members clearly demonstrated their anger at this union meeting,” Teamsters local union president Éric Picote said in a statement. “I have not often seen in my career men and women so determined to be respected by their employer.”

In addition to the question of wages, the union also accuses the employer of having “one-way talks,” while “imposing a final offer which has not been negotiated.”

While the strike could be called “at the appropriate time,” the Teamsters said they were “willing to return to the bargaining table, provided the employer shows an open mind and a willingness to address and solve the problems in a lasting way.”

“The labor shortage in many sectors, including the brewing industry, should be a clear signal to employers,” said Teamsters Local Union 1999 president Michel Héroux in the press release. “Molson does not seem to understand that workers are scarce and that they are the ones who hold an advantage at the moment.”