The nearly 18,000 members of Ontario’s International Union of Operating Engineers will be back at work after voting to ratify a new three-year provincial collective agreement with their employer partners.

The union members, who have been on strike since early May, voted strongly in favour of the agreement at ratification meetings held across the province on May 20.

The agreement takes effect immediately and runs to April 30, 2025. It provides for a total monetary package increase of $9 an hour over three years. Wages rise by $3 an hour each year of the agreement. The agreement also contains a 19-percent increase to travel, room and board allowances.

The union says the wage settlement is the highest of any of the trades so far in the ICI construction sector.

“Our members have spoken on the provincial strike and have accepted the employers’ last offer,” said Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher. “Members across the province in every area voted to accept the settlement and go back to work.”

“We look forward to getting back to building our province’s much-needed schools, hospitals and highways, and other vital infrastructure.”

The agreement affects operators who work on cranes and heavy equipment at construction sites across the province and who are involved in activities such as steel erection and mechanical installations, foundation piling, caisson boring and excavation, general construction and surveying.