The workers, affiliated with the Teamsters Union, complain that their employer repeatedly refuses to negotiate.

The Beauceville union members have been without a work contract for several months. They’re asking for a wage catch-up with their Agropur colleagues working in other regions, more job mobility within Agropur, as well as the preservation of acquired rights.

Marc Béliveau, from Teamsters Local Union 1999, is critical of the fact that Agropur pays its employees in Beauce less than workers elsewhere in Quebec. Regarding job mobility, he explained that at this time, it is difficult to move within the company and to obtain new roles.

Agropur is a cooperative of more than 2,800 dairy producers with 7,350 employees in several facilities.

The Beauceville plant produces butter and cuts cheese for the Canadian market. It also produces milk powder for the Canadian and world markets.

Earlier this year, the cooperative announced that its surplus reached $127.2 million for the year ended October 29, up 31.3 per cent from the same period last year. Revenues reached $8.5 billion, an increase of 16.5 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 9, 2023.