LiUNA: Bargaining Stagnation Causes Lockout at Central Elgin Municipal Building

The following is from LiUNA 1059:

ST. THOMAS, ON – LIUNA (Labourers International Union of North America) Local 1059 has been working since the fall of 2022 to secure a fair collective agreement for members of its Local working for Serv-U-Clean Inc.—a cleaning company that carries out janitorial services at the Central Elgin municipal building in St. Thomas. The members are currently locked out.

“Our members in this unit at the Central Elgin municipal building worked all throughout the pandemic, without a break, making sure other employees could come to work in a safe environment,” said Brandon MacKinnon, Business Manager at LiUNA Local 1059, which represents over 5000 members across Southwestern Ontario. “They’ve been without a collective agreement since July of last year. They need a fair, living wage: basic recognition that their work is valued. The employer needs to get back to the table immediately and negotiate a deal.”

Local 1059 is in the process of arranging support for the picket line from members of other labour unions and the community at large.