IAM Local Lodge 1857 breathe a little easier after Saputo announcement

The 30 members of IAM Local Lodge 1857 in British Columbia are breathing a little easier after their employer, Saputo Inc. announced a commitment to not having any layoffs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dale Gentile, Business Representative for IAM District 250 said, “Saputo has demonstrated their loyalty to their employees by not laying anyone off and paying them if they should fall sick. I for one, when deciding to purchase products, will purchase products made by our members first, then by the respect level shown to their workforces. The respect Saputo have shown their employees should not go unnoticed in our organization.”

Saputo has invested 240 million in BC by building a new facility in Port Coquitlam, called “Project Big” which will further secure IAM members’ jobs today and into the future. This project has a completion date of 2021. The company has committed to “taking care of our employees by mitigating financial, physical and mental health impacts.”

“I strongly believe, when this Covid-19 crisis has subsided, consumers will judge employers on how they treated their employees during this crisis and, will patronize their organization or not based on this treatment,” said IAM Canadian General Vice-President Stan Pickthall.

Saputo Inc. has also donated over CDN $320,800 of product donations to help feed thousands of Canadians struggling to eat during this crisis. They produce, market, and distribute a wide array of dairy products and are one of the top ten dairy processors in the world

The IAM represents 30 members at Saputo who are employed as millwrights, electricians, machinists, instrumentation mechanic and, parts department workers.

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For more information:
Dale Gentile, Business Representative, IAM DL 250
dgentile@iam150.org