Strike continues at Chrysler store

THUNDER BAY, ONT. – The picket line is up at a Chrysler store in Thunder Bay as a strike by mechanics and technicians rolls into its second week.

The employees walked off the job at Lakehead Motors on Aug. 2 after negotiations with management for a new contract failed.

The union representing the staff, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1120, said the mechanics have been without a contract since March.

“We were left with no other option and that is why we are here,” Peter Topetto, president and directing business representative with Local Lodge 1120, told TBNewsWatch.

Local media reported four other unionized dealerships in Thunder Bay, a city of roughly 110,000 in Northern Ontario, have ratified agreements with members of Local 1120.

Lakehead Motors has been the lone holdout despite a lengthy negotiation.

“They are all fair agreements that the members have accepted and all we want is to get the same type of offer so we can make a fair agreement with this owner and it doesn’t seem to be forth coming,” Topetto told the website.

A statement released by Greg Cieslik, vice-president and general manager at Lakehead Motors, did not go into detail around the negotiations but said they were hoping for the situation to be resolved amicably.

– With files from TBNewsWatch