Workers at Highland Valley Copper mine vote 100% in favour of strike: union

Unionized workers at the Highland Valley Copper (HVC) mine near Logan Lake have voted in favour of a strike, but it remains to be seen if – or when – they’ll give notice to mine owner Teck Resources.

The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7619 said 944 members voted in favour of the strike over two days last week. It noted every member who voted was in favour of a strike, adding “in the history of our local, we have never received such a strong strike vote.”

“[We had the] 100 per cent backing of every single one of the 944 members who showed up, [and] many more who couldn’t make it who phoned, texted, messaged or otherwise informed the committee they were in support but couldn’t attend,” a statement from USW Local 7619 said.

“That is the strongest message that we can send to Teck, to HVC and their bargaining committee.”

The union represents more than 1,200 employees at Highland Valley Copper, the largest open-pit copper mine in Canada. Workers have been without a contract since Sept. 30 this year after their previous five-year contract – which was ratified following a strike vote in 2022 – expired.

A bargaining update sent to the union’s membership, dated Oct, 2, described two days of bargaining talks as slow but “productive”. About a week later, the bargaining committee told members it had broken off talks in order to seek a strike mandate.

In an email to CFJC earlier this week, union president Kyle Wolff said the parties are scheduled to return to the bargaining table on Monday (Oct. 19).

“We are not willing to back down,” the USW 7619 statement added. “We are not going to concede and we deserve a contract that we can be proud of.”

“We have heard you loud and clear, we will strike if necessary.​”

Teck spokesperson Dale Steeves sent CFJC an emailed statement: “HVC is committed to continuing negotiations and reaching a collective agreement that is fair, responsible and supports the long-term success of our employees, operation and communities.”

Teck Resources is currently working on a major expansion at Highland Valley Copper to extend the life to the mine from 2028 to 2046. Construction began in August last year, two months after the project was greenlit by the company’s board.

Highland Valley Cooper has been operational since 1962.