Jamieson strike continues after workers vote against tentative deal between union and company

Workers at Jamieson Laboratories, shown here on Feb. 25, have resumed strike action after rejecting a tentative agreement between their union and company. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

Workers for Jamieson Laboratories have resumed strike action after rejecting a tentative deal between the union and company.

The four-year collective agreement was reached on Feb. 23 and unanimously endorsed by the Unifor national and local bargaining committees.

However, during a ratification vote Sunday at Caboto Club, 67 per cent voted to reject the deal.

"We attempted to explain the process to our members and why we have the four-year proposal on the table with this amount of money," said Unifor Local 195 President Emile Nabbout. "But our members felt with this cost of living, there wasn't enough money for them to say yes to this deal."

Following Sunday's failed vote, strike action has continued.

"This is a challenging economy and this a tough time for people to make ends meet. They believe the employer is making lots of money and they would like to have [their] fair share of this gain," said Nabbout.

In terms of next steps, Nabbout said the union will contact the employer for a return to the bargaining table "to try and address the issues being raised by our members."

"We have to respect our members," he added.

Approxiamately 317 workers with Unifor Local 195, employed by Jamieson Laboratories, have been on strike since Feb. 1.