Your Local 4 elected Officers met on Sept. 8 to discuss the state of bargaining. As your elected officers, they are responsible for making decisions on behalf of the Local as we all navigate through the bargaining impasse.

Conciliation

After we served notice of impasse, we heard back from the CIRB and were informed that they have appointed a conciliator.

A conciliator is a neutral, government-appointed third party (often a Conciliation Officer) who helps a union and an employer resolve their differences to reach a collective agreement.

Your bargaining committee is waiting to hear from the conciliator, and when we do we are ready to meet with the conciliator and the company to see if we can reach a deal.

Strike Vote

As part of the bargaining process that has stalled, members of Local 4 need to consider that these negotiations may end in a strike or lockout to secure a new collective agreement. Members voted to reject the last memorandum of agreement, and the company is not willing to budge from their position, so we need to be ready to show Grain Millers we mean business.

It is for this reason, to show the company that members of Local 4 support their bargaining committee, that the Local 4 Executive has decided to conduct a strike vote. Voting to authorize strike action doesn’t mean you want to go on strike, it means you believe the company can do better and you are willing to stand with your co-workers to demand better.

Please mark the dates below on your calendar. It is essential that we achieve a good turnout and active involvement from all members. This fight to get what you all deserve is something that we all have a role to play. So come for the meeting and vote, or stop by the following day to vote.

Meeting & Vote on Strike Action:

October 7, 2025 at 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm at the Gallagher Centre on the second floor

Drop in to Continue Voting on Strike Action:

October 8, 2025 starting at 6:30 am until 7:30 pm at the Gallagher Centre on the second floor.

Email and Texting Updates

This week, the Executive is considering a few items, including strike pay in the event that it is needed. Now that we are at this step of the bargaining process, it is even more important that members are kept up to date on progress. Your Executive will be going around this week, gathering email addresses and cell phone numbers, so they can keep everyone up to date. So please find time to chat with one of your officers and make sure we have your email address and/or your cell phone number for text updates.

In solidarity,

Steve Torgerson
On behalf of your Local 4 Bargaining Committee

Brandon Allin
Carter MacKay
Ryan McNabb
Scott Robertson