Skip to content

DETAILS: Harvesters Presented with New Proposal from ASP  

May 10, 2023

DETAILS: Harvesters Presented with New Proposal

After a difficult day of bargaining between the FFAW-Unifor Snow Crab Negotiating Committee and ASP, possible solutions to end the stalemate were exchanged by both parties, with details of the final counter proposed below.

Details of the proposal:

  • Minimum price of $2.20/lb for rest of the season
  • When Urner Barry 5-8oz. Sections goes to 5.25USD, price will go to $2.25
  • At 5.50USD, the price goes to $2.30
  • At 5.75USD the price goes to $2.40
  • At 6.00USD the price goes to $2.50
  • Above $6.00USD, the Union can submit for reconsideration at the Panel

“The Bargaining Committee has done everything they can to move the price of crab from the original decision. It’s been a very difficult few weeks for our members; enterprise owners, crew members, plant workers, dockside monitors and other fishery workers are experiencing economic strain and enormous stress due to the unknown,” says FFAW-Unifor President Greg Pretty. “The important thing for all of our members to remember during this difficult time, is that without a sustainable inshore fishery, there will be no coastal Newfoundland and Labrador. The future of our coastal communities is dependent on the inshore fishery for their survival, for their economic sustainability, and for their long-term prosperity,” Pretty says.

Snow crab license holders will be given the opportunity to either accept or reject this proposal. Extensive consultations will be undertaken over the next two days. To express your opinion, you may contact your Fleet Chair, your staff rep, or email communications@ffaw.ca. All snow crab license holders in our email database will be sent a single-use email poll should they wish to respond this way – the deadline to respond via this method is tomorrow evening, Thursday, May 11 at 9:00pm. The Committee will reconvene as soon as possible to review all fleet reports and communication received by the Union, and we will in turn communicate the results to members. If you have any questions or wish to clarify any part of this proposal, please contact your Staff Representative.

“This is certainly not the ideal situation for our members, and thousands of people will be in need of federal and provincial assistance no matter how our membership decides to move forward this week,” says Pretty. “Today’s proposal is not going to make much difference to many enterprises compared to the last one, so financial viability and the future of the inshore fleet is still a very serious concern. We need a commitment that help will be there to ensure folks can make it to next year,” Pretty says.

3L Staff Representative Miranda Butler mbutler@ffaw.ca
3L Inshore
5A – Gerard Hounsell
6A – Keith Smith
6B – Tyler Coish
6C – Chad Waterman
8A – Jim Chidley
9A – Keith Bowen

3L Offshore
Small Supplementary – Andy Careen
Large Supplementary – Robbie Green
Full-Time – Andrew Daley

3K Staff Representative Sherry Glynn sglynn@ffaw.ca
3K Inshore
3A – Brad Patey
3B – Albert Wells
3C – Glen Newbury
3D – Wayne Hicks

3K Offshore
Area 4 – Chad Payne

3Ps Staff Representative Dwan Street dstreet@ffaw.ca
3Ps
10A – Jamie Barnett
11E – Wade Savoury
Supplementary – Rodney Power

2J Staff Representative Jeff Griffin jgriffin@ffaw.ca
2J
Alton Rumbolt
Dwight Russell

4R

Roger Lacosta ( C)
Tyson Barter (D)
John Gilbert (E/F)
Blaine Crocker (G)
Allan Sheppard (OS8)