MENU

Ongoing Labour Dispute Between IAMAW and Kal Tire

Circulated on behalf of VDLC

We are passing along the following information from the BC Federation of Labour regarding the ongoing labour dispute involving IAMAW and Kal Tire. Please show your support for these workers by visiting them on the picket line, and in the ways described below.

The dispute involving members of IAMAW and KAL Tire continues. The employer locked out workers at unionized locations on October 31, 2024. The BC Federation of Labour announced a boycott of all Kal Tire locations on December 5, 2024.

In response to the ongoing dispute, Kal Tire has announced it will be permanently closing several locations. The company is closing the Grimmer Street location in Burnaby. Kal Tire also permanently closed two other profitable locations on Annacis Island leaving these “Team Members”, one with 37 years of loyalty, to fend for themselves.
 
Locked out workers at the other IAMAW locations need your support. The union is asking affiliates and their members to please increase their efforts to call on Kal Tire to negotiate a fair deal. Please post, repost, circulate IAMAW posts about the dispute, and the notice of boycott issues by the BCFED. Have conversations with friends and family to make sure they aren’t supporting Kal tire. Call Kal Tire’s Head Office in Vernon (250-545-2729) leave a voice message for Corey Parks (Pres). Send messages to hello@e.kaltire.com.
 
Further background from our strike coordinating call in November is listed below:
 
Background:
IAMAW has had an agreement with two Kal tire locations since 1960. These locations do both automotive and industrial tire servicing. The also represent a location in Sparwood that does tire repairs for the mining industry. IAMAW organized several new locations in the Lower Mainland and wanted to add these workers into the existing Kal Tire agreement. The employer has resisted these efforts insisting on two-tiered wages and benefits. IAMAW members are refusing to accept an agreement that would see them with wages as much as $4 an hour lower than the other unionized locations. IAMAW members issued job action notice and commenced job action with an overtime ban, escalating to a refusal to handle any tires marked as M/S. The employer locked out workers at the Grimmer location and then locked out workers at the other retail locations. On Cliveden Avenue the retail and industrial shops have a shared driveway though they operate as two separate businesses. IAMAW workers are honouring the retail lock out line at that location.
 
Main issues:
Two tiered wages for newly organized locations, want to pay workers as much as $4 less than existing locations, Pension, 40 Hour Work Week Guarantee          
 
Job action start date:
Workers were locked out on October 31, 2024
 
Job action locations:
969 Cliveden Avenue, New Westminster, B.C. (2 locations)
1390 Boundary Road, Burnaby, B.C.
5390 Grimmer Street, Burnaby, B.C    
2055 Clark Drive, Vancouver, B.C.
8130 Ontario Street, Vancouver, B.C.
 
Support requested:
Messages of support can be shared on X @iamawcanada.
 
Write customer reviews at the locked-out locations supporting the workers’ rights to a fair deal. You can find the locations here: https://www.kaltire.com/en/locations/ and click on the appropriate store, view details, and scroll down to leave a review.
 
You can also message Kal Tire on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551232316878X  or on X @KalTire.
 
 

Back