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Brief strike at Rock Tenn La Tuque is over

Workers at the Rock Tenn containerboard mill in La Tuque, Que., are ready to restart operations at the mill, after a short strike came to an end on March 10, 2015. A 36-hour strike began on March 6. The next day, Rock Tenn locked out employees….

Workers at the Rock Tenn containerboard mill in La Tuque, Que., are ready to restart operations at the mill, after a short strike came to an end on March 10, 2015. A 36-hour strike began on March 6. The next day, Rock Tenn locked out employees. The situation was resolved on Tuesday, when about 77% of the 130 striking workers accepted Rock Tenn’s offer.

The workers belonging to local 34 of the Unik union had been without a contract since September 2013, according to local media reports.

The La Tuque mill makes containerboard for coffee cups.

Union president Luc Pelletier told media he is satisfied with the vote. He said some people may have felt the negotiators could have gotten more, but the price to be paid (in terms of collateral damage to the community caused by a prolonged strike) might not have been worth it.

The web site of L’Echo de La Tuque says Rock Tenn’s offer provides for salary increases of 2.5% in September 2017 and another 2% the following year, and signing bonuses of $4500. The new collective agreement is in force until August 2019.