The federal New Democratic Party leader met with manufacturing plant workers as they walked the picket line in Winnipeg Thursday to offer support, ahead of his meeting with Manitoba’s premier.
About 180 workers at Griffin Wheel, a unit of Chicago-based Amsted Industries that manufactures train wheels, were locked out of their north Transcona plant last week.
“I’m here to support these workers. We heard from them today and their demands are very straightforward,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (middle) revs up Griffin Wheel Company workers, Unifor Local 144, Thursday while they are on the picket line fighting for fair benefits and pensions.
Singh shook hands and hugged workers outside of the Day Street plant over the noon hour.
Workers were locked out one day after they staged a 24-hour walkout to denounce the company’s bargaining position.
Their union, Unifor Local 144, said the company is demanding reductions to pension and seniority rights. In a news release issued Thursday, the union said the workers were on strike.
Singh told the crowd the workers just want respect and argued the company has the money to meet their demands.
The NDP is working to introduce federal “anti-scab” legislation, Singh said, after he noted he had been told the plant had brought in replacement workers.
Strike captain David Brassard said he was impressed by the federal leader’s visit.
The workers melt steel and process about 850 wheels a day under tough conditions, according to their union. Union leadership said the employees are forced to work overtime, with management only required to give them five minutes notice, and until only a few years ago, worked seven days a week. Most of the striking employees work six days a week, union leaders said.
The strike action began after the company announced it wanted to move from a defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution plan or eliminate it completely and take away seniority rights.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
Singh (left) shakes hands with Unifor National Representative Suzanne King.
Singh said the workers’ demands are a matter of “basic decency.”
“They want to be able to choose if they want overtime or not, they want to be able to have the weekends off so they can spend time with their family, they want to be able to protect their pensions. This is a company that is not in any way struggling financially,” Singh said.
Singh was expected to meet with NDP Premier Wab Kinew in the afternoon.
Amsted has one other plant in Canada, in London, Ont. It operates about 75 facilities in 13 countries, employing more than 13,000 people.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera reports for the city desk, with a particular focus on crime and justice.