It's been just over a month now since 100 or so workers at the Korex Don Valley plant walked off the job.The strike came after a year of uncertainty and unsuccessful contract renewal negotiations between the plant's management and workers from the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Local 132-0.
Even an appointed conciliator was unable to help reach an agreement that satisfied both parties.
A failed Ontario Labour Board-supervised vote led to the strike action.
"We had been at it for approximately a year and it just wasn't going anywhere," said the plant's General Manager Bob Ditmar, adding his side worked hard to protect pay ranges and work-rule changes.
"We're leaving the issue in the workers' hands. I've made it clear that I'm open to any discussions."
He said a sore point was management's proposal to eliminate an existing attendance bonus as the Ontario Ministry of Labour already mandates 10 days of emergency pay for workers.
For the workers, the main points of contention are wages and benefits. They also want to ensure their jobs aren't exported to the States.
"We would like to take a deal. It's just the concessions that Sandy Pensler (the company's owner) is asking for are too severe," said Bob McCulloch, a 24-year process operator at the plant as well as a union representative.
McCulloch said he and his fellow workers feel they've already accepted enough rollbacks to their collective agreement.
"There was the potential for workers to lose their jobs and for the plant to close, then Korex came in," he said, pointing to the plant's change of ownership in August 2002 when Unilever sold the facility to U.S.-based Pensler, who is operating the plant under the name Korex.
"Our workers agreed to a five-year wage freeze and benefits and financial concessions."
McCulloch said at that time some staff members took severance packages and early retirement, while others who decided to stay on accepted the concessions.
Ralph Downing, Local 132-0's president, has worked at the facility for 34 years.
"It was very distasteful but it kept the place open," said Downing, who helped negotiate that agreement in 2002.
"We're just hoping that we can get a collective agreement (now) that's mutually good. It's not like we're asking for some huge amount of money, we're just asking for pretty well even."
The workers, who are picketing 24-7 at the plant's main entrance near the Don Roadway and Lake Shore Boulevard East, have even put up YouTube videos of their experiences. They've also got an area set up with a tent, a bocce ball pit and a horseshoe pitch, a small trailer, a TV and a radio to help pass the time.
In the meantime, Ditmar said the plant's management would be working in the plant, although some sections aren't running at this time.
"We need to get back on track and we need to be competitive in our market," he said, adding the goal is to keep the plant open.
"If we can't be competitive, we can't stay open. Management doesn't enjoy this either."
Lever Brothers (Unilever) owned and operated the plant for 110 years and technically still owns the property. Its head office used to be on the site as well.
The factory, which currently produces Sunlight laundry and dishwasher detergent, Dove soap bars, Snuggle fabric softener and Wisk laundry detergent, has been at this site since 1888.
In 2004, the northern portion of the property was severed and a BMW dealership was erected.