Unionized Highland Valley Copper workers prepare for potentially lengthy strike

Temperatures were low but spirits were high on the picket line outside the Highland Valley Copper mine near Logan Lake on Monday (Oct. 26), where workers have been on strike since Saturday, and they’re preparing for the long haul.

Members of the United Steelworkers Local 7619 walked off the job three days after issuing 72-hour strike notice, when they could not reach an agreement on a new contract with mine owner Teck Resources.

“We deserve better wages so we can support our families in the community, better pensions so we have something to go and retire with, not less,” USW Local 7619 president Kyle Wolff told CFJC News on the picket line.

“[A] 25 per cent cut in future pensions is what they want [after they made] $540 million in profit this last quarter and they’re trying to cut our pensions. That’s wrong. That’s just greed.”

It’s not just about the money – the union is also concerned about Teck’s ability to attract and retain skilled workers, as they say employees continue to leave the operation. There are also longstanding safety issues that the union says have not been addressed.

“It’s been a long time coming, I think, and a long time of just poor behaviour is the best way to put it,” Wolff added. “You can’t continue to live in the conditions we’re working in and have the ministry trying to step up and company shutting them down. That’s wrong.”

“We shouldn’t have to negotiate health and safety at the bargaining table. We should be fighting for better wages and pensions, not safety.”

This strike comes after a unanimous vote in favour from the 944 union members who cast ballots earlier this month. Monday morning was especially busy as hundreds of mine workers and their families were out on the picket line, as the ongoing labour action affects more than just workers.

“My father brought me out here and I’m just here to support all the families here,” Kalee Nielsen, a Grade 10 student told CFJC. “I work really hard in school and I deserve to go to college. It’s important because people shouldn’t be put on strike like this. It’s unfair and they should be able to work.”

In a statement, Teck Resources said it has contingency plans in place and the impact on overall production will depend on how long this labour action lasts. More than 1,200 workers have walked off the job, meaning operations at the largest open-pit copper mine in Canada have all but ground to a halt.

“They might have 30 or 40 or 50 people working in there but they can’t do it, they won’t be able to,” Wolff said. “We’re going to come back and everything is going to be broken and we’re still going to have to go fix it because that’s what Steelworkers do.”

“We’re passionate about our job. We’re passionate about our futures.”

Security is set up outside the mine entrance off Highway 97C and there are some vehicles that are passing through the picket line, but striking workers are making their voices heard with boos or loud chants.

“What’s coming across the line is the supervisors and they’re not happy about it, they’re telling us they’re being forced to shift schedules they don’t want to be on,” Wolff said. “They’re telling us how miserable it is.”

“We work together every day – our friends, our family, our coworkers, our supervisors. We’re on the same shift schedules as them. They’re telling us what’s going on and that it’s not very nice inside right now.”

Workers at Highland Valley have been without a contract since Sept. 30 after their previous five-year contract – which was ratified following a strike vote in 2022 – expired.

While the union said it has put forward proposals to ensure Highland Valley Copper remains a competitive employer as B.C.’s mining industry grows, Wolff said they won’t be returning to the bargaining table until Teck significantly improves its offer.

“We’re on strike. That’s how far apart we are,” Wolff said. “It’s been very busy [on the picket line], but it’s been extremely powerful and I think it’s what this local needed.”

“We need to fight and we need to stand up for working conditions and for wages because it’s what unions do.”