Newspaper headline announcing the end of the 1968 strike

Newspapers in the region, including L’Avenir du Nord, closely monitored goings-on at the three large companies established in Saint-Jérôme. Since the 1950s, significant labour conflicts lasting many weeks had affected Regent Knitting Mills and Dominion Rubber. Many employees of those plants had been dismissed, and the unemployment rate was very high. Globalization had an especially severe impact on industry in Saint-Jérôme, and many plants closed in these years. Rolland was the only one spared. There were a few strikes there, but all were settled in timely fashion.

Transcription :

[Translation]

Lightning strike ends at La Rolland; employees to work Sundays

The Rolland Company’s employees have resolved the issue of work on Sundays, which had been a regular sticking point during bargaining between the company and employees since 1961.

Both union locals, 106 and 455, agreed to the latest offer by the company, which has been pushing for the past seven years to institute Sunday shifts, also known as continuous work, in its mills.

As a result, the company’s facilities will operate seven days a week for eight straight months of the year. Employees have agreed to submit a work calendar whereby they will be on Sunday duty on a rotating basis to ensure the machines keep running.