The battle between Unifor and Federated Co-operative Limited has spilled over into Moose Jaw.
Nearly 20 union members were in Moose Jaw on Feb. 10 and erected green metal fencing at both entrances to the Co-op bulk fuel terminal just off Highway 2 north, with several union flags flying in the brisk, cold wind.
A line of vehicles sat parked on the gravel road leading to the terminal. However, most belonged to union members; only one fuel truck and two half-tons were with Co-op, with the division manager for bulk fuel sitting in one of those trucks.
At one entrance, about 12 union members stood against the fence as the national representative for Unifor’s communications department took their picture while a cameraman filmed the proceedings. At one point, the members shouted three times, “$3 million a day, not today!,” in reference to how much the Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina makes each day in profits.
The 730 refinery workers have been on the picket lines since Dec. 3, 2019, or about 70 days. Members voted to go on strike over proposed changes to their pensions before being locked out by Co-op.
Standing with union members was Karl D., a pipefitter who has worked at the Regina refinery for five years. He asked that his last name not be used since he was concerned about his family’s safety, especially since workers have been targeted lately with harassment.
“We’ve got lots of members who are followed home, pictures (taken) of their houses, flashlights in their windows, stuff like that,” he explained.
Karl has two young children, so the lockout means his family has turned into a one-income family. He pointed out this had a negative effect on them, especially weeks before Christmas.
“There’s no extra spending. There’s no … movie night, date nights. It’s not easy,” he added. “Again, we don’t want to be out here. We want to be in there working and we just want a deal.”
All refinery members are concerned about their pensions, especially workers who have worked there nearly 30 years, since they stand to lose between $200,000 and $300,000, Karl claimed. This would force them to work another five years to make up that loss.
Since the Regina Police Service removed the barricades surrounding the Regina refinery complex last week, that affected the union’s ability to protest, Karl said. The union needed some way to put pressure on Federated Co-op, so it decided to come to Moose Jaw and block the bulk fuel terminal.
“We’re not going to places ever to keep locals out or anything like that, just to keep the Co-op trucks from fueling up their bulk stations here,” he continued.
Karl was unsure how long the union members would be in Moose Jaw. He pointed out a court ruling was supposed to be released on Feb. 10 about the union’s actions, so the barricading is dependent upon the outcome of that ruling.
The union members arrived in Moose Jaw “pretty early” to erect the fences.
“We’re going to be out here for as long as it takes for us to get back to the table. The whole end goal is for us to get to the table (and) get back to work,” he continued.
“We want to work. We want to be in there doing our job. We don’t want to be out here in minus 40 (Celsius). But we’re not going to go back to work and take $20,000 (per year) in concessions and have our senior members get hammered on their pension and have to work four or five other years.”
Work at the refinery is physically demanding. By the time workers reach retirement, they’ve had several shoulder and back surgeries, said Karl. He added that since Co-op has made record profits the past three years, the workers simply want to keep what they have for pensions and keep earning a paycheque.
