PLESSISVILLE, Quebec — “The biggest issue in our strike is to be treated with respect. They don’t treat us like human beings,” Alain Martineau, one of 100 United Steelworkers walking the picket line at Cooperative Citadelle’s maple syrup factory, told the Militant. They’ve been on strike since March 18, without a contract for 15 months.
“The workers are demanding improvements in conditions that include working in 13 C temperatures [55 F], being monitored by cameras that record their every move,” the union said in an open letter. Andree Archambault, a machine operator responsible for the union health and safety committee, added, “The floors are very slippery, and the factory is too crowded without enough space for forklifts to pass safely.”
“One fellow worker described how the employer sent him to buy a heater for the glass bottles because the low temperature in the plant in the winter was making them explode,” Dominic Lapierre, a train conductor and member of division 89 of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference on the Canadian National Railway, told the Militant as he and other rail workers, including this correspondent, walked the picket line in solidarity March 24. “Workers’ comfort is less important than the material for the company. It seems like the workers are an expense to cut.”
“We know the importance of solidarity because we needed it ourselves in our fight against CN and the government,” Felix Vincent Ardea, president of division 89, added. “Having the labor movement by our side is what gives us strength!”
The workers rejected the company’s last contract offer by 72.3%. “I voted against the strike, thinking it was premature,” Thibaut Mdappe, who had only been at the plant for a few months, said on the picket line. “But being out here, I’ve been caught up by a wind of solidarity. The union has become like a second family.” There has been a 70% turnover in the workforce over the last two years because of low wages and difficult working conditions.
The USW went on strike as maple syrup season began, maximizing pressure on the cooperative. “The bosses pushed us into a corner,” Dany Maltais said. “The strike became inevitable. We don’t want to penalize anyone, but this is our leverage.”
Cooperative Citadelle, a producers’ cooperative, started in 1925 and now counts 1,500 members.
The USW needs financial help from union locals to support their strike fund. The first donation of $13,000 came from the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions. Several USW locals have pledged weekly or monthly contributions, including workers at ArcelorMittal in Contrecoeur and at Microbird in Drummondville. Checks can be mailed to Fonds de greve de la section Locale 7885-15 at 175, rue Saint-Marcel, Drummondville (QC), J2B 2E1.
Join the line at 2100 St-Laurent Street in Plessisville!