New offer ordered tabled within seven days: Union
The Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board ruled on May 3 that U.S.-owned D-J Composites violated section 75 of the Labour Relations Act by engaging in bad-faith bargaining with its Gander, N.L., employees, who are members of Unifor Local 597.
"This is an exceptionally important decision that reinforces what Unifor has been saying all along — that this employer was not interested in reaching a fair contract with its employees," said Lana Payne, Unifor Atlantic regional director. "D-J Composites introduced proposals that no reasonable union would agree to. In our union's opinion, these proposals were designed to lengthen the lockout."
D-J Composites has been ordered to remove all proposals that attempt to eliminate seniority-based rights for Unifor Local 597 members and is further ordered to deliver a new offer — without the offending proposals — to the union within seven days, according to Unifor.
"This is a significant decision by the NL Labour Board that upholds the principles of fair collective bargaining," said Shane Wark, Unifor assistant to the president. "The board not only found the company guilty of violating the act, it also ordered several remedies which we hope will lead to renewed bargaining and a fair contract for our members."
The offending proposals from the employer were first tabled in early March after the members of Local 597 had been locked out for nearly three months, said the union.
The 32 aerospace workers have been locked out by the employer since Dec. 19, 2016.
