Steelworkers accept deal with IOC to end Labrador City strike

Striking workers at the Iron Ore Company of Canada mine in Labrador City are going back to work after more than two months on the picket line.

Members withUnited Steelworkers locals 5795, 6731 in Labrador City voted 79.01 per centin favour Monday toaccepta deal to end the strike.

Out of 1,304workers on strike, 1,139 voted on the deal. They've been offwork since late March.

"It's a big turnout and it's a big vote of acceptance," said Local 5795 president Ron Thomas

Union leaders reached a tentative deal with IOClast Friday, and Thomas said at the time that the deal seemed to satisfy those in attendance.

He said the offer included pension increases and a higher drug cap, along with a guarantee that everyone on the life of the five-year contract would be covered.

IOChappy with deal

In a statement, IOCsaid the agreement "provides competitive terms and conditions for employees such as improved pension and medical benefits and increased local employment hires while providing IOCwith flexibility to be a sustainable and competitive business."

Thomas said his union got what they were looking for in the agreement, with a few concessions,

Probation for new employees will now be 60 calendar days instead of 45, and new hires won't be able to take vacation time at peak season for the first two years of full time employment.

"I think through it all our members looked at it and said we can deal with that," he said.

"The biggest thing is we looked at the whole big picture."

Medical cap increase, pension benefits

Changes to the medical cap will mean that workers won't have to worry about running out of coverage anymore.

Previously, Thomas said, some workers at theIOCplant had to pay out of pocket after reaching a $40,000 cap.

Temporary workers won't be an issue anymore, either.

"The company was trying to take away some of our benefits ... and they wanted to impose a temporary workforce," he said.

"All that is dropped now and any new hire will be a full time hire."

Thomas said workers are also happy with the pension increases in the new deal, but says it's too bad it was such a long time coming.

"The unfortunate part about it is we had to go on strike for nineweeks in order to get this fair deal, but at the end of the day we got it now and i guess now it's time to go back to work and see if we can start producing like we do best."

Workers will be back on the job Tuesday.