Unionized workers at Dajcor Aluminum have walked off the job.
In a statement from Unifor Local 127, officials say strike action began earlier this week following word the company was planning to remove equipment and bring in temporary labour to the Chatham facility.
On Tuesday, workers voted to reject a tentative agreement. Unifor extended the strike deadline and asked the company to return to the table with an improved wage package. However, union officials say the latest moves by the company escalated tensions.
“Any attempt to remove equipment from a Unifor facility or bring in scabs will always be met with the swiftest possible response from our union,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a news release.
Unifor says Dajcor Aluminum has previously benefited from public investments, including a $2.48 million repayable contribution from FedDev Ontario and over $1 million from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund to expand production capacity and create jobs in Chatham. But at same time, the company recently invested $19.6 million to open a sister facility in Kentucky.
“Dajcor has received a great deal of support from the community of Chatham that has stood by this plant for years, from the provincial and federal governments that have invested in it, and from the loyal workforce who built its success,” Payne added. “You can’t accept public subsidies, rely on a skilled workforce for years, and then treat them like they’re disposable.”