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Over 1,200 workers at National Steel Car in Hamilton are on strike as of midnight on Wednesday after rejecting a contract offer.
Frank Crowder, president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7135 said a vote took place Tuesday evening which saw “one of the highest participation rates we’ve ever seen.”
“About 91 per cent of our population came out to vote,” he said. “It was like 79 per cent ‘no’ vote for our contract.”
Crowder says workers are asking for higher wages and for the union to have a say in an incentive program which he says is “dangerous.”
Crowder says the company is “not even reaching the inflation rates” for wages.
Michael Schram, a welder and union steward at the plant said the money he’s currently paid at his job is not enough for him to make a living.
“We know they make lots of money,” he told CBC Hamilton from the picket lines on Wednesday.
Schram, who has worked at National Steel Car for 15 years, also said the pensions are not enough for workers like him.
“We have over 200 people that are over 60 years old,” he said. “They can’t retire.”
‘Dangerous’ program at the centre of demands
Crowder said workers at National Steel Car have an incentive program that allows them to take lower pay and get paid an extra 25 per cent of their wages if they make enough product.
The program has been “administered fairly” in the past, but recently, production levels have been set too high for workers to achieve, Crowder said. The union has no say on the program, as per their collective agreement.
Workers at National Steel Car went on a 41-day strike in 2023 that ended in a 13 per cent wage increase.
Crowder said some workers went four to six months without the extra 25 per cent pay, leading to a loss of nine to 11 per cent of their expected wages.
“What is the point of having a 13 per cent wage [increase] if they can just take the money back?” he said.
Crowder said “workers have to work through their breaks, or unsafely, to make sure they make their part or they won’t receive the money.”
He added that “we believe there’s a connection between the work and the fatalities and other injuries because people will rush through their jobs to make that money and perform unsafe acts in an effort to make that money.”
Three workers died in less than 2 years at National Steel Car. Fraser Cowan was killed on Sept. 2, 2020, Collin Grayley died on April 23, 2021 and Quoc Le died on June 6, 2022. A worker was also critically injured in 2022.
“We need this language to protect our members and their wages from this incentive program,” he said. “We think that this program is dangerous.”
Crowder said the union is willing to go back to bargaining after the company “walked out” during negotiations.
National Steel Car did not comment, saying their only spokesperson was unavailable.
