United Brotherhood Of Carpenters & Joiners Of America Local 2486 workers - on strike as of Monday morning - were seen with picket signs outside the union’s office near the corner of Trunk Road and Boundary Road earlier today.
“It’s all to do with wages,” a strike captain told SooToday.
The strike is Ontario-wide.
“Our members have told the negotiating committee that they want a fair deal and a better deal,” said Mike Yorke, United Brotherhood Of Carpenters & Joiners Of America public affairs and innovation officer in a telephone interview from Toronto.
“It’s about cost of living and affordability and it’s about the next generation. We have to make this a viable career path that’s fairly compensated for the next generation of young workers coming into our sector.”
The group’s collective agreement expired May 1.
Union members turned down a new offer in a recent vote.
Approximately 250 skilled tradespeople with United Brotherhood Of Carpenters & Joiners Of America are on strike in the Sault.
About a dozen local projects have been affected by the strike.
The group received honks of support from vehicles passing by.
Yorke estimated about 15,000 workers are off the job across Ontario as a result of the strike.
“Across the province you could say hundreds and hundreds of projects (are on hold due to the strike).”
Yorke said that union members have expressed that they need higher wages due to the rising cost of living.
The union and its employers plan to meet Thursday, Yorke said, describing the negotiating atmosphere as “professional.”