Early this morning, 130 members of Local 106 of the Teamsters Union, employees of Quincaillerie Richelieu, went on strike in Montreal. The workers at the company’s headquarters in Montreal hold jobs related to order preparation and handling. Without a labour contract for 6 months, and wages ranging between $18 and $24 per hour, these workers are demanding wage increases that will allow them to keep up with the cost of living.
“We know that inflation has hit very hard in recent years, and the collective agreement of our members, which expired in December, dates back 5 years,” explains François Laporte, president of Teamsters Canada. “What our members are asking for here is to be able to maintain their standard of living, which has been severely tested.”
Quincaillerie Richelieu, a publicly traded Quebec company, prefers to prioritize its shareholders over its employees. Its headquarters and warehouse in Montreal serve businesses all over North America.
“The current offer on the table is a 2% to 3% increase per year,” says Stéphane Lebrun, the business agent of Local 106 in charge of negotiations with Quincaillerie Richelieu. “It’s a meager offer, not only well below what has been offered and obtained in similar companies and industries, but one that actually impoverishes our members. Under such circumstances, and facing a company that has shown no intention of moving, they had no choice but to strike.”
Despite everything, the Teamsters Union hopes to reach a fair agreement with Quincaillerie Richelieu and remains available to resume negotiations with the company as soon as it is willing to do so.
At over 130,000 members, Teamsters Canada is the country’s largest transportation and supply chain union. It’s also the largest union in the federally regulated private sector. They are affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents over 1.2 million workers in North America.
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Marc-André Gauthier
Director of Communications, Teamsters Canada
Cell: 514-206-0492 | [email protected]
