Union: BC Elevator Workers Avoid Strike, For Now

The bargaining process between the International Union of Elevator Constructors’ BC branch (IUEC Local 82) and four employers – Otis, Schindler, KONE and TK Elevator — has resumed, reports CityNews Everywhere. The union, which represents approximately 900 elevator workers in British Columbia, Canada, issued a 72-hr strike notice following unsuccessful wage negotiations last week, and the employers served a lockout notice that would have begun Tuesday, October 17. IUEC Local 82 Business Manager Mike Funk says both parties are now attempting to reach a new collective agreement through talks at the Labour Relations Board, and a lockout or strike would not occur Tuesday. Funk says that the union is doing “everything possible to reach a fair and reasonable new collective agreement,” warning that some form of job action will be taken if the OEMs don’t improve their wage offer.