Rogers has locked out 26 Kootenay technicians seeking their first labour agreement after unionizing last year.

The telecom opted to shut its doors to employees Wednesday following talks that began with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 213 in June 2024.

The technicians 鈥� based in Nelson, Castlegar, Grand Forks, Trail, Cranbrook, Creston, Fairmont and Fernie 鈥� install and maintain networks for residences and businesses, answer service calls and work on infrastructure. The employees unionized last year after Rogers purchased former telecom Shaw in 2023 for $26 billion.

Robin Nedila, assistant business manager for Local 213, said Rogers has proposed a collective agreement that would slash hourly wages by four-to-25 per cent as well as make cuts to benefits, vacation time and RRSP matching.

"This is a bad situation that the company has put them in," said Nedila. "Rogers being extremely profitable, and one of the most profitable corporations in Canada, their name is everywhere. This is shameful.鈥�

A spokesperson for Rogers said the company has engaged in talks with the union and participated in mediation. 

"The union took a proposal to a vote earlier in March without any discussion. We have since enhanced our offer and the union has not been willing to facilitate a vote on the proposed collective agreement. We鈥檝e offered a compensation package that is consistent with other team members."

IBEW has collective agreements already in place for Rogers employees living elsewhere in B.C. Nedila said the union isn't seeking parity with those contracts for Kootenay members because it is their first labour agreement.

But Nedila said that isn't good enough for Rogers, who he adds have recently raised the pay of non-union contractors by five per cent. (Rogers says raises for non-union employees are "based on a number of factors, including their performance and years in role.")

Nedila also alleged Rogers has brought replacement workers in from Alberta to take over for the locked-out Kootenay technicians. Rogers responded to this by saying it has "existing staff helping to ensure the needs of our customers continue to be met without interruption."

"Our goal is always to achieve a negotiated collective agreement with our technicians. As we work towards a resolution, it is critical that we ensure the needs of our customers continue to be met without interruption.鈥�

In response to the lockout, Nedila said IBEW has filed an unfair labour practices complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. 

"We're alleging that the company is surface bargaining, which basically means they're going through the motions and not wanting to ever conclude a collective agreement. And that's pretty evident, the fact that they're offering substantial cut. I don't know what kind of planet they're living on, that Rogers is not making so much money it doesn't know what to do with it.鈥�

Rogers reported $20 billion in revenue for 2024.