Rogers to lock out former Shaw employees after unionization

Rogers Communications threatened 26 former Shaw employees with a lockout amid struggles to come to a collective agreement after they unionized on Feb. 14, 2024.

The telecom giant sent notice to IBEW Local 213 that it would initiate a lockout at 12:01 a.m. PST on March 19, 2025. The company is pushing for the employees, who are technicians located in the Kootenays region of B.C., to sign a collective agreement that would cut total compensation. The union and Rogers have been bargaining since June 2024.

Robin Nedila, Assistant Business Manager at IBEW Local 213, told MobileSyrup that the union held a ratification vote on a previous offer from Rogers with cuts, which was unanimously rejected. Rogers then provided another offer with slight tweaks.

“The monetary package [Rogers] has on the table now is still facing cuts across the board… anywhere from four per cent to 25 for hourly employees,” Nedila said.

In a follow-up email, Nedila noted that unit-based employees would see more cuts, as high as 48 per cent, due to Rogers forcing them to change classifications. The proposed agreement would cut base salary, RRSP matching, boot allowance, earned vacations, standby pay, callout minimum, benefits and more.

Additionally, Rogers proposed a one-year backdated term, which Nedila described as “the strangest thing I’ve seen.” Typical agreements are three to five years.

“[Rogers] actions at the bargaining table are very clearly anti-union,” Nedila said.

“Our goal is to achieve a negotiated collective agreement with our technicians, and we are working hard to reach a balanced deal while remaining committed to continue meeting the needs of our customers in the Kootenays,” Rogers said in a statement to MobileSyrup.

The company also pointed out it has participated in a conciliation process since June 2024 with support from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Rogers accused the union of being unwilling to vote on the proposed collective agreement.

Posts shared on Reddit about the lockout allege that Rogers management is attempting to make deals with employees behind closed doors to encourage them to decertify.

The union has an active Unfair Labour Practices Complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) for surface bargaining and refusal of regular pay increases.

Nedila told MobileSyrup that other non-union Rogers employees in the area recently received a five per cent increase in pay and bonuses.

“For the Kootenays group, this is like tens of thousands of dollars that they stand to lose should they ratify this agreement,” Nedila said. “It doesn’t make any sense because the company is extremely profitable.”

This isn’t the first time Rogers locked out former Shaw employees. Back in 2023, the company threatened to lock out nearly 300 former Shaw technicians after they notified the company of a plan to start rotating strikes.

More recently, Rogers laid off roughly 400 employees across multiple provinces, many of which worked in the company’s chat support.

Update March 14, 2025 at 9:19am ET: Added a statement and additional details from Rogers.

Update March 13, 2025 at 4:48pm ET: Added clarification that the employees unionized in February 2024.

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