Coca-Cola Update: Deal Ratified
On July 19th 2013, a strong majority of CAW members working at Coca-Cola Brampton voted in favour of a new collective agreement, ending a three-week long strike.
As the labour dispute is now over, keeping track of Coke products in our stores that have hot cargo clauses is no longer necessary.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Coca-Cola Labour Dispute Update
On Thursday June 27th, 700 workers at Coca Cola's Brampton bottling facility commenced a legal strike. The workers are members of the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) Local 973. The most recent information available to us is that there has been no production at the plant since the strike commenced. Across Ontario, UFCW Canada Local 1000A members work in grocery stores that are supplied products from this plant, but also from other Coca-Cola facilities and warehouses that are not on strike.
Local 1000A has "hot cargo" clauses in some of our collective agreements. For example, in our Loblaws Real Canadian Superstore and Great Food agreements with Loblaws (and in many of our YIG and Valumart locations - please see list below), the clause provides that in the event of a legal strike at the plant of a supplier, Loblaws agrees that it will not handle merchandise from the struck plant. However, it can still handle merchandise already on the Employer's premises or in transit to its premises at the time the strike began.
Local 1000A has reached out to our employers like Loblaws to tell them that we expect that the "hot cargo" clauses we have negotiated will be respected by them.
However, even with a "hot cargo" clause the law does not permit the Union to ask our members to refuse to do this assigned work -- handling these Coke products that come into the stores. It also does not permit our members to group together to refuse to do this work this case. We are not in a legal strike position at this time.
We expect our employers to honour their commitments. You can assist us by keeping track of the Coke products stocked in the stores. We ask all members with "hot cargo" clauses in their collective agreements to keep track of Coke products that come in and to try, if possible, to determine from which plant they came from and when. Members should contact their staff representative immediately if they notice Coca-Cola products from this Brampton facility continuing to enter our workplaces where a "hot cargo" clause is in place.
Last year Coca-Cola's profits topped 9 billion globally. As we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at this facility, we hope that they are able to achieve a fair deal from their employer.
List of Local 1000A Collective Agreements that have a “Hot Cargo Clause”
- Dale Hurley's YIG, Ingersoll
- Dan Andress' YIG, Smith Falls
- Frank McDonough's YIG, Ottawa
- Heidi Soudant's YIG, Petrolia
- John Baxtrom's YIG, Cornwall
- Loblaws Great Food
- Loblaws Real Canadian Superstore (RCSS)
- Maple Grove Distribution Centre
- Maple Grove Transport
- Rheal Laurin's YIG, Hawkesbury
- Scott Rowland YIG, Port Elgin
- Steve & Kelly Rome's YIG, Sault Ste Marie
- Stuart Parker’s YIG, North Bay
- Tom Wilson's YIG, Ottawa
- Value-mart, Brockville
- Value-mart, Deep River
- Value-mart, London
- Value-mart, Scarborough
- Wayne Dewe's YIG, Belleville
