The Goderich salt mine strike is over. What's next?
With more than 350 unionized workers, the salt mine in Goderich, Ont., is the largest employer in town.
So when the mine's workers went on strike 12 weeks ago, Goderich Coun. Trevor Bazinet says it wasn't just company employees who felt a pinch. It was just about every business, from restaurants to sport organizations to exterminators.
"We had some customers that decided to not renew their pest control contract with us because of the strike," said Bazinet, who also works with Truly Nolen pest control.
"There are business owners that have struggled. Their businesses have gone down 30 to 40 per cent, so that just goes to show you what the salt mine and the people that live in this community give back to our community."
Monday, Unifor Local 16-0 reached an agreement with Compass Minerals, the company that owns the mine. The three-year deal includes a 2.5 per cent wage increase this year and next, and a three per cent increase in 2020. It also maintains previous pension and benefits, the union says.
Workers will return to the mine on Wednesday, but Bazinet says he expects the economic impact of the strike to continue.
"When someone's off work for 12 weeks, it's going to take some time to grow that bank account to where it was before," he said.
For Mayor Kevin Morrison, the strike had a personal impact; he owns a local restaurant and noticed dropping numbers.
But he says he was also struck by the number of people who helped each other out. He says many businesses stepped up by offering discounts and free meals or services to families who were most affected.
"That's just an example of what small towns are all about when things like this do happen," he said.
But it's not all clear skies and rainbows.
Over the course of the 12 weeks, the labour dispute became increasingly heated. Workers blocked the mine's entrance to prevent replacement workers from coming in. Compass Minerals responded with a court order that forced the workers to move the blockade.
After all that, Morrison said he expects to see lingering tension between the mine and its workers.
"There's still a bit of unrest with some of the employees," he said, adding that he felt proud of the way the union handled the strike overall.
Morrison said laws regarding the use of replacement workers will continue to be an area of political focus for him, and he has already asked the new provincial government to re-examine this legislation.
"Provisions need to be put into place, because that's unfair when it comes to the bargaining process as far as I'm concerned," he said.
