The union representing locked-out employees at the Co-Op refinery says the contentious three-and-a-half month lockout will end soon if Federated Co-Op accepts the recommendations made by special mediator Vince Ready.

“To be clear, our committee is not thrilled with the final report and the significant changes that are recommended,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “We have been trying to find a solution since we were locked out on December 5, 2019. It is time to end this dispute and have our members running the refinery in these unprecedented times.”

The Unifor Local 594 bargaining committee has accepted the recommendations and will be encouraging their members to accept the deal. The committee will present the details over the coming days and the members will vote electronically on Monday, March 23.

“We all need some sense of stability back in our lives and this deal provides exactly that. This deal should end this dispute, as it gives the company what they said they needed. We are urging the company to accept the special mediator’s recommendations as we have. Anything less would be irresponsible,” said Kevin Bittman, President of Unifor Local 594.

The Co-op Refinery says it is still analyzing the special mediators’ report as it relates to the long-term impacts and benefits to their  business. They say this is obviously an important decision and requires additional time to thoroughly review and evaluate the report.  They are giving no time frame as to when they will make an official statement on whether or not to accept the report.