Tuesday October 21, 2025 | ABBOTSFORD, BC [Posted at 1:37 pm PT | Updated 2 pm | Updated Oct 22, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Now into the fifth month of their strike in their effort to achievement equal pay, Rogers technicians in Abbotsford are hoping for positive results will prevail when negotiations with the company resume on Monday, October 27.
“It’s unconscionable that a small group of workers has been forced to sacrifice and fight this massively wealthy corporation for so long, for the basic principle of equal pay for equal work,” said Michael Phillips, President of United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1944, which represents the technicians.
“There’s no justification, financially or otherwise, for treating these workers as second-class employees. It’s time for Rogers to do the right thing and agree to a fair and reasonable contract on Monday,” Phillips added.
Offer on the table:
Meanwhile, a Rogers spokesperson has told Island Social Trends today that the company is gearing up for Monday’s resumption of negotiations. The unionized workers have previously been offered a 16% wage increase over five years. “That exceeds other recent Lower Mainland agreements,” the Rogers spokesperson said today.
“Our goal is to reach a fair, negotiated collective agreement with our 25 technicians,” says the Rogers spokesperson in a statement to Island Social Trends today, adding that the corporation intends to “continue working in good faith and to continue serving our customers in Abbotsford without interruption”.
According to Rogers, the 16% current offer is intended to provide long-term stability and certainty.
Over the past five months of negotiations, the Rogers stance is that both sides have “mutually agreed on most items” for the next collective agreement.
The Rogers offer includes safety footwear, share purchase options and other supplementary benefits along with improvements to severance pay and RRSP contributions. Career development opportunities for the local team are also offered.
Digital tech sector:
Rogers is one of three major companies that provide Canadian individuals and businesses with wireless and related digital tech products and services.
Rogers (which also bought out Shaw a few years ago), Bell and TELUS essentially have a monopoly on the digital tech market in Canada.
Background:
On the picket line since June 19, the 25 technicians who are on strike are now into their fifth month of job action.
These workers install and service land lines for Internet, TV and phones. They don’t work on the wireless tech side of things. Likely some of the customers for these services are businesses as well as households.
The technicians are established in their communities and wouldn’t just pick up and relocate to high-paying regions, says Phillips, who adds that Rogers is not hiring in the bigger BC urban centres right now anyhow.
The major issue in the labour dispute has been the refusal by Rogers to pay the Abbotsford workers the same compensation that it pays to its technicians elsewhere in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, including Vancouver, Surrey, Langley and Mission.
“Rather than negotiate a fair settlement, Rogers has prolonged the dispute by spending significant amounts of money to bring managers from across the country to Abbotsford to perform the work of its striking employees,” Phillips said.
The striking employees just want to keep up with cost of living demands, said Phillips today.
Exploiting a loophole:
“They’re continuing to exploit a loophole in the new federal anti-scab legislation which was intended to prevent the use of replacement workers. It’s a shameful practice that violates the spirit of the law,” said the Local 1944 president.
The current anti-scab legislation that the NDP helped get passed in the previous Liberal minority parliament allows managers to come in from any area of the country. This results in lesser quality and quantity of work in this case, says Phillips. By comparison, BC and Quebec legislation has guidelines for replacement workers (managers or out of union staff) be from the same region or sector, which likely helps with maintaining some degree of performance levels.
The federal NDP has pledged to introduce an amendment to close the loophole in the law, but with only seven MLAs the NDP is struggling to find time to deal with all that they face in alignment with their perspective.
Rat on the picket line:
Meanwhile, the union has a new fixture on its picket lines – a giant inflatable rat which is a symbol of scab workers, drawing further attention to Rogers’ use of replacement workers.
So-called ‘scab’ workers usually keep a company or operation afloat for the sake of customers and suppliers while labour issues are being sorted out.
Strike pay is “a fraction” of what the workers normally earn, Phillips told Island Social Trends today.
Equal pay request continues:
The union and company last met at the bargaining table on October 1, with Rogers once again opposing the concept of equal pay for equal work.
“As we have done from the outset, we will come to the table on Monday ready to negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement,” Phillips said. “Our members are simply seeking basic respect and dignity.”
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: JOBS & EMPLOYMENT | DIGITAL TECH