Unionized Stelco employees in Hamilton have voted in favour of a new five-year contract.
United Steelworkers Local 1005 president Ron Wells says 82.7 per cent of members who voted approved the contract, which will include annual wage increases of just over $1 per hour, as well as improvements to pensions and benefits.
“Everyone got something which they thought was necessary,” says Wells. “We got some pretty good job security language, regarding if there’s any closure of the coke ovens in the next five years.
“You always want more,” adds Wells, “but we think it was fair.”
Stelco has not actually made steel in Hamilton for more than a decade, but about 600 employees continue with “finishing” operations, such as a zinc-coating line.
The contract was finalized on Wednesday, the same day that the company’s last idle Hamilton blast furnace was demolished.