'Toxic Environment': Pizza plant workers in London, Ont. prepared for a long strike
Striking employees at London’s Dr. Oetker plant have set up multiple picket lines Wednesday, as 251 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 175 went on legal strike at midnight.
UFCW spokesperson Fred Teeple says talks between the union and the company have broken down. There is no current date to return to the table.
“The relationship between the employer and the members is not good. It’s a toxic environment and we want to make sure it is addressed as well,” he says.
Workers picketed out front of the frozen pizza manufacturer Wednesday located at Bradley Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
They also blocked the truck entrance, where at least one delivery was delayed during the time CTV News was on the scene.
Teeple says workers rejected the latest company offer by a vote of 91-71. That follows a strike mandate of 88 per cent last November.
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local 175 on strike at the Dr. Oetker plant in London, Ont. on Feb. 16, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV London)
As inflation rises and London’s food processing industry continues to grow, including the soon to open Maple Leaf Foods facility, workers here say they want better pay and working conditions. Wages for unionized workers range from $19 to $24 per hour.
Teeple says his members want more.
“It’s an economic strike. We want more money across the board and that’s why these workers are out here.”
Teeple also points out the extra stress Dr. Oetker employees have been under.
Just as COVID-19 began to spread and most industries idled, he says they stepped up to meet the high demand for food.
“These workers have been through struggles through the pandemic. I mean coming to work every day and making sure they’re putting food on the table for families.”
And with their own families now forced to survive off limited strike pay, some workers, like Stewart Carne, are preparing for a long strike.
“They basically locked us out and put up those extra gates there, and were willing to come to work, but we’re not going to be working for a while,” says Carne.
As the strike chants of “unfair contract” begin, most on the line appears to be determined.
“We’ll win, we’ll win just give it time”, one employee said to a CTV News camera.
The Dr. Oetker plant unionized in 2018.
CTV News has so far been unsuccessful in reaching company representatives.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Minister 'outraged' after AFN national chief's headdress taken from Air Canada cabin
The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.