Image: Canadian Press
Striking workers

Rogers technicians in Abbotsford go on strike, union calls pay disparity with other colleagues ‘shameful’

Jun 19, 2025 | 5:35 AM

ABBOTSFORD — The United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1944 says 25 technicians working at Rogers in Abbotsford walked off the job as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday morning after negotiations broke down between them and the telecom giant.

In a news release, USW says the technicians have stopped working after negotiations did not deliver what they consider to be a “fair contract that ensures equal pay” and did not bring an end to, in their words, to the employer’s “divide-and-conquer” approach to bargaining.

USW contends that despite rendering services identical to what their Vancouver and Surrey colleagues provide, they are paid nine per cent less, an injustice the union argues is “unjust” and “indefensible.”

“Rogers is sending a clear message: it does not value the people who keep its services running in smaller communities like Abbotsford,” said Michael Phillips, president of USW Local 1944. “Our members do critical work every day to support Rogers customers, yet the company believes these workers deserve less simply because of their postal code. The last time I checked, the service that customers buy in Abbotsford costs the same as in Vancouver, so why are the workers paid less? That’s not just disrespectful, it’s shameful.”

The union says it is fighting to align the Abbotsford contract’s term with contracts in the rest of the Lower Mainland. Currently, Abbotsford workers bargain on a different timeline than other Rogers technicians, which the union says has allowed the company to exploit them as an isolated unit.

“For years, Rogers has deliberately kept this group bargaining alone so they can push lower wages and worse conditions,” said Jayson Little, USW staff representative. “That must end now. Our members are standing up not just for themselves, but for every worker who’s been told to sit down and accept less.”

This strike is also among the first to take place under Bill C-58, Canada’s new anti-scab legislation that prohibits the use of replacement workers during legal strikes in federally regulated sectors like telecommunications.

“Thanks to this new law, Rogers can’t bring in scabs to do our members’ work while on the picket line. That levels the playing field and protects the right to strike without interference or intimidation,” said Little.

The union is calling out Rogers not only for unfair treatment of its workers, but for showing disregard toward loyal customers and the communities it claims to serve.

“This is how Rogers treats the people who keep your internet and phone services running,” said Phillips. “It says a lot about what they think of their workers and their customers. There are other options out there for internet providers. People should ask themselves if they want to keep supporting a company that treats its employees like this.”

USW Local 1944 represents approximately 4,000 telecommunications workers across Canada, including technicians, customer service agents, clerical staff and other frontline workers who keep the country connected. The union wants Rogers to return to the bargaining table with a genuine offer that respects Abbotsford workers and addresses the long-standing injustices they face, USW Local 1944 said.

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