TORONTO, ON, August 14 – As of 5:00pm on August 8, IATSE Local 58 reached a tentative agreement with the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, narrowly averting strike action.  The local had been in negotiations with the employer since May 16, two weeks prior to the expiration of their agreement on May 31. 

Negotiations were difficult and involved conciliation and the issuance of a “No-Board,” both at the request of the employer.  When it appeared no progress was being made at an August 8 meeting, the local requested, and was granted, strike authorization from International President Matthew D. Loeb.  The local then started preparing to put up picket lines the following day, but negotiations began to turn around.  Local 58 successfully concluded a new agreement with the employer in which it maintained terms and conditions and realized a 2% wage increase in each of the two years of the agreement.