Submitted by Kim Power
About 19 staff members at Acadia Toyota in Moncton are on the picket lines after failing to reach a new collective agreement with their employer.
Technicians, apprentices and employees in the parts and detailing departments are included in the job action.
Represented by Unifor, spokesperson Kim Power says the employees were essentially locked out on Thursday and went on strike today.
“Members at this workplace have been without a collective agreement for 14 months and without a raise for over two years. And we reached the point that there was a decision to be made and we tried to bargain for a fair agreement with the employer.”
We have contacted management at Acadia Toyota for comment on the situation but haven’t received a response.
“They are currently the lowest paid in Moncton and we recently settled with Moncton Honda and they would fall behind them even further again based on the offer from this employer,” says Power.
Roughly 19 employees at Moncton Honda were in a similar situation until the union and management at that dealership reached a new agreement this week.
Power added several employees were on the picket line when they were struck by a vehicle earlier today but they weren’t seriously hurt.
She believes the vehicle was a Toyota Corolla and it was driven by a young woman.
Power says they have filed a report with the police.
