A strike that has gone on for almost three weeks may soon be over for employees at Medical Labs of Windsor.
The union representing the lab workers, Unifor Local 2458, announced through social media on Thursday, that it has reached a tentative agreement with the employer. A vote will be held on Friday at 10:30am to ratify the deal. No details of the agreement will be released until after the vote.
If accepted by union members, the new contract would end the strike for around 90 medical lab assistants and technicians who have been on the picket lines since October 2. The strike was called after union members voted down a previous tentative agreement.
“This was a difficult negotiation but the members stood together and this agreement is a testament to their solidarity,” says Tullio DiPonti, Local 2458 secretary treasurer in a news release.
The employees have been without a contract since March, and the main sticking point during negotiations has been been wages, according to the union.
Lab assistants start at $12.50 an hour at the lab and lab technologists make $20.50/hr. However, at hospitals, employees in the same positions start at close to $20/hr and close to $30/hr.
The Medical Labs of Windsor has 11 locations throughout Windsor and Essex County.
-With files from Maureen Revait
https://twitter.com/UniforLocal2458/status/921131398504894465