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Chanting “Another day longer, another day stronger,” and “3 million a day? Not today!" — the OPSEU/NUPGE members joined local Unifor and Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association members to call attention to the plight of the workers at the Co-op Refinery in Regina.
Kenora (6 Feb. 2020) ― A group of OPSEU/NUPGE members joined rallies on Feb. 3 at the Kenora Co-op Gas Bar, and on Feb. 4 at the Dryden Gas Bar, in support of the 800 refinery workers in Unifor Local 594 who have been locked-out since early December at the Co-op Refinery in Regina.
Chanting “Another day longer, another day stronger,” and “3 million a day? Not today!" — the OPSEU/NUPGE members joined local Unifor and Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association members to call attention to the plight of the workers at the Co-op Refinery in Regina.
Solidarity with locked-out workers
The refinery makes more than $3 million a day but locked out its workers when they refused to accept deep cuts to their pension plan.
“The fight for good pensions affects everybody,” said OPSEU/NUPGE Region 7 Regional Vice-President Ed Arvelin, who was part of the rally. “I’d say 90 per cent of the customers at the gas bar stopped to ask about the rally. And once they found out about the pension cuts these workers are facing, they were very supportive.”
3 Co-ops in Ontario related to Saskatchewan parent
The Regina refinery is owned by Federated Co-ops Ltd., which is associated with the Kenora Co-op Gas bar and 3 other co-ops in Ontario:
- East Manitoba andOntario Propane (with locations in Dryden and Kenora)
- Vermilion Bay Food Store
- The Dryden Gas Bar
Dozens of OPSEU members — including President Warren (Smokey) Thomas and First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida — travelled to Regina to help bolster the refinery workers’ picket lines after Unifor President Jerry Dias and another dozen Unifor members were arrested on those lines.