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Reliance Home Comfort employees locked out

Hundreds of Reliance Home Comfort employees, including seven in Chatham, are locked out because of a contract dispute between their union and the company.

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Hundreds of Reliance Home Comfort employees, including seven in Chatham, are locked out because of a contract dispute between their union and the company.

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Workers walked the picket line Friday at Reliance’s location on Riverview Drive.

“We’re locked out,” Chatham strike captain Jeff Cavanagh said. “Willing and ready to get back to work.”

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Unifor Local 1999, which represents 830 employees, and Reliance reached a tentative agreement on a new contract in March but that deal was rejected by membership. The previous contract expired March 31.

Employees were locked out at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

“The compensation package for sick days is a big holdup,” Unifor Local 1999 president James Tauvette said. “Sick days is important to us because, with the current pandemic, they get three sick days right now. And then their short term doesn’t kick in for seven days after that. … Their benefits would kick in after 10 working days or two weeks. If somebody has to quarantine, they have nothing.”

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Benefit sharing is another sticking point under the two-tier contract system, he said.

“They’ve got pretty close with the wages and, in some cases, the wages are equal, but the benefit packages are fairly far apart,” Tauvette said.

It was “disappointing” the tentative agreement was not ratified, Reliance’s Western Canada vice-president Paul Gyarmati said in a statement.

“We do not know why the members did not ratify the agreement,” he said. “In our view, it is a fair agreement which included significant wage increases and benefit improvements, along with the continued provision of sick and paid personal days. Reliance continued to bargain with Unifor this week, but an agreement has not been finalized.”

Gyarmati said Reliance is committed to reaching an agreement that’s fair for the company, its employees and its customers.

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“In the event of a labour disruption, we have a contingency plan in place so we can continue to serve our customers,” he said. “Reliance has the best HVAC professionals, as well as a large network of contractors and business partners committed to looking after our customers’ home comfort needs.

“A labour disruption does not affect non-union and non-Unifor team members, who will continue to ensure our customers enjoy the peace of mind they expect with Reliance.”

During the lockout, “they’re using contractors as scabs,” Tauvette said about the company.

Unifor Local 1999 represents HVAC service technicians and installers, water heater installers, plumbers, electricians and administration staff at 13 locations in Ontario.

Reliance Home Comfort employees walk the picket line in Chatham, Ont., on Friday, May 14, 2021, after being locked out. (Mark Malone/Chatham Daily News)
Reliance Home Comfort employees walk the picket line in Chatham, Ont., on Friday, May 14, 2021, after being locked out. (Mark Malone/Chatham Daily News)
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