A seven-week strike at Toromont Industries’ remanufacturing facility in Bradford, Ont., has ended after the company and Unifor agreed to send an unresolved wage dispute to arbitration.
Unifor said 120 members of Local 112 will begin returning to work later this week. Weekend shift employees are scheduled back on Aug. 29, with the remaining workers set to return Sept. 2.
The agreement follows a vote in which union members overwhelmingly rejected the company’s “final offer.” Toromont forced the vote through the Ontario Labour Relations Board earlier this month.
The strike began July 8, about a year after workers at the plant joined Unifor in May 2024.
“Our members are proud to be returning to work, but let me be clear: after seven weeks on the picket line, these members have proven their resolve to reach an agreement for fair working conditions,” said Unifor national president Lana Payne.
Unifor Local 112 vice-president Dustin Philp credited members for their persistence. “We are proud of our members for standing their ground for as long as they had to, in order to show the employer they weren’t settling and deserve respect,” he said.
Toromont invested $70 million in 2022 to build the 137,000-square-foot facility in Bradford West Gwillimbury, which remanufactures Caterpillar heavy equipment.
Jobs at the site include skilled trades and semi-skilled positions such as component cleaner and component re-builder, according to the union.
Unifor represents 320,000 workers across Canada in a wide range of industries.
