BLOOMFIELD - Workers at pallet manufacturing facilities in Bloomfield and Picton will now be represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union after the union received official certification last Friday.
On August 16, workers at Cooper Lumber Ltd. in Bloomfield and Pallets and More Inc. in Picton voted in favour of becoming unionized. Both facilities are owned by the same company.
Steve Robinson, OPSEU organizer, said that the union can now begin to address problems with working conditions inside the workplaces.
“Employees approached OPSEU in July asking for help,” Robinson said. “Workers were unhappy and concerned with working conditions, wages and health and safety issues at their worksites. We will now be able to begin to address these problems through a structured collective bargaining process.”
Robinson said that a date has not yet been set for when the union will begin the collective bargaining process, but he expects a cooperative atmosphere when bargaining begins.
“Members need to elect their local representatives and begin a demand setting process first,” Robinson said. “As soon as the members are ready, we will sit down with the employer to bargain a first contract.
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For more information, please contact:
Steve Robinson, OPSEU Organizing Unit 1-866-967-2092
