Steelworkers welcome bill to close anti-scab loophole, strengthen workers’ right to strike

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OTTAWA, Ontario, June 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The United Steelworkers union (USW) is welcoming legislation introduced today by NDP Parliamentary Leader Don Davies to close a loophole in federal anti-scab legislation that allows employers to use outside managers as replacement workers during labour disputes.

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USW National Director Marty Warren and USW Local 1944 President Michael Phillips joined Davies in Ottawa in support of the bill.

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Federal anti-scab legislation was won after decades of advocacy by workers, unions and allies in Parliament. But a recent labour dispute involving USW Local 1944 members at Rogers in Abbotsford, B.C., exposed a serious weakness in the newly implemented law.

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The strike, involving 25 Rogers technicians, came as new federal anti-scab provisions came into force and quickly became the first major test of that legislation. Throughout the dispute, Rogers brought in managers from other regions to perform tasks normally performed by the bargaining unit, in contravention of the spirit of the legislation.

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“The right to strike is the foundation of free and fair collective bargaining and workers fought for decades to win federal anti-scab legislation,” said Warren. “Those protections must be real and enforceable. If employers can get around the law by bringing in outside managers to do bargaining unit work, then the right to strike is undermined and collective bargaining is weakened.”

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During the four-and-a-half-month strike, those managers crossed the picket lines and performed the work normally handled by the bargaining unit, thereby enabling the company to continue its operations and prolong the dispute, despite the intent of the new anti-scab legislation.

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“Our members lived this loophole directly,” said Phillips. “For months, they watched out-of-town managers cross picket lines and do their work. That is scabbing. Rogers was able to keep operating by using replacement labour, and workers and their families paid the price. This bill is needed to make the ban on scab labour real.”

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Anti-scab legislation is meant to protect the integrity and fairness of collective bargaining, shorten labour disputes and reduce tensions on picket lines. But the experience at Rogers showed that, without closing this loophole, employers with the resources to bring in outside managers can still undermine those protections.

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“This bill is about closing a gap before it becomes a roadmap for other employers,” added Warren. “The Rogers dispute exposed a weakness in the law. If Parliament does not fix it now, other employers will look at that loophole and see a way to undermine the right to strike.”

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The USW is urging all parties in Parliament to support the bill and strengthen anti-scab protections for workers across Canada. Workers in smaller bargaining units, rural communities, or workplaces owned by big corporations should not lose the protection of anti-scab legislation because their employer is large enough to move managers around and exploit a gap in the law.

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About the United Steelworkers union

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The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

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Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

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For more information, please contact: 
François Soucy, USW Communications, 873-355-2841, [email protected] 

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