On September 17, 2025 the LRB accepted lock-out notice served on the Union from Stella Jones. One could argue that this flies in the face of the bulletin that was distributed to each and every employee claiming “Stella Jones has no intention of locking out employees”.
Lets remember why we are at impasse.
The Union opened bargaining with the position that this was a round of bargaining that was crucial to the survival of our members, the employees, of Stella Jones. We stated that our members are struggling to work and live during an outrageous cost of living environment. The cost of just getting to work and providing the essentials of daily living is proving to be enormously challenging.
We reminded the Company that during the term of the last CBA Canada's inflation rate hit 30-year highs with a monthly high of over 8%. In contrast during the term of the last CBA our members received annual wage increases of 3%, 2%, 2%,3%,2.5%- for a total of 12 ½ % over 5 years or an average of 2.5% per year.
Clearly the buying power of wages earned has significantly decreased due to the inflationary prices.
In contrast Stella Jones has been managing financially quite well. As a result of profits they were able to increase the quarterly divided to shareholders by 11%. The second quarter report of 2025 confirmed their financial stability.
Montreal, Quebec – August 7, 2025 - Stella-Jones Inc. today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2025.
“Our second quarter results reflect the resilience of our business and the disciplined execution of our strategy for value creation as we continued to deliver a robust EBITDA margin and solid cashflows during a quarter of softer volumes” said Eric Vachon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stella-Jones.
(Note: EBITDA is an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, It indicates how well the company is managing its day-to-day operations, including its core expenses. As such, it is a very fair indicator of a business's current state and potential. A “good” EBITDA margin is one in excess of 10% . Stella Jones is well over 18%)
“We anticipate maintaining healthy profitability levels, despite a revised revenue outlook for the year, and are encouraged by the progressive improvement in utility poles volumes. The breadth of our network provides a distinct advantage, allowing us to pivot capacity when necessary, and will enable us to support our customers from a position of strength as they execute on their long-term maintenance and capital investment plans.”
For far too long our members have seen their hard labour go unappreciated even in the face of the significant financial success of the Company. Now is the time for Stella Jones to step up to the plate and look after their employees, care about their employees, thank their loyalty and contributions and offer them a fair contract.