Canadian Porcelain Company

Workers reject contract offer, strike Canadian Porcelain plant

The Canadian Porcelain Co. Ltd. Plant on Beddoe Drive was struck today after workers rejected a new contract offer.

The employees, members of Local 249 of the United Glass and Ceramics Workers of North America, rejected a tentative agreement by a vote of 75 to 50 yesterday.

Under the terms of the rejected contract, the more than 140 employees would have received a 50 cent-an-hour wage increase in the first year and 45 cents an hour in the second year.

Fringe benefits were estimated to be worth an extra eight cents an hour in the first and six cents per hour in the second year.

The present wage in the plant is $4.99 an hour although a number of the workers are on an incentive rate, said Ozzie Ferguson, district six president for the union.

Mr. Ferguson said the increases had been estimated to be about 10 per cent in the first year, and almost 9 per cent in the second year.

"The company claims to be on the anti-inflation guideline, but we doubt they have come up to what is allowed," he said.

In addition to a wage increase, the employers are also asking the company to pay 10 per cent instead of the present 75 per cent of health insurance premiums.

The rejected contract also provided for a three cent an hour increase in shift differentials bringing the amounts to 17 and 20 cents an hour. The Sunday premium was increased from 25 cents to 40 cents per hour.

Mr. Ferguson said there were no changes in the vacation schedule and number of holidays although there were increases in insurance benefits. There were also a number of changes in contract language.

A cost of living increase of 50 cents from the previous contract was to be incorporated into the new contract it [sic] ? did not allow for any COLA benefits, Mr. Ferguson said.

Even if a settlement can be reached immediately, the company will be shut down for a number of weeks to restart furnaces.

The employees completed their shifts after yesterday's vote.

Last Thursday workers at Life Savers Ltd. Plant on Cumberland Avenue rejected a new two year agreement and went on strike.

The workers, members of Local 1207 Canadian Food and Allied Workers earn an average wage of $3.71 an hour.

The employees rejected a contract offering a wage increase of 50 cents in the first year and 42 cents in the second year.