Talks have broken off, once again, in the ongoing strike at Clear Medical Imaging.
Unifor says the company showed up at the bargaining table today with no response to the union's latest offer.
The union will now apply to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for first contract interest arbitration.
On Dec. 5, an offer by the employer was voted down by 96 per cent of the members represented by Unifor Local 2458. Clear Medical Imaging had requested the Ontario Ministry of Labour to conduct a final offer vote on the company's latest proposal.
Local 2458 President Ken Durocher says it's very frustrating.
"Within a half hour it came clear to us that they did not have a counter proposal on our counter, and we also brought up interest arbitration, if they were interested in proceeding to that, and there was no answer on that either."
He says the company chose to break off talks after just 30 minutes at the table.
"It is very frustrating, right, when we're trying to get a deal, we can't bargain amongst ourselves, we have to have somebody to sit across the table and say 'hey, let's work this out'. And to have a whole week, and just come back to us and within a half hour have nothing."
Durocher says the union will now apply to the Labour Board for first contract interest arbitration.
"Let's agree to go to arbitration, try to resolve this matter, get the employees back to work. There was no answer to that today either, and as of right now we have not heard back from the employer. Our committee was here at the local waiting, and nothing."
130 workers from across 11 locations in Windsor, LaSalle, Tecumseh. Essex and Chatham have been off the job since October 25 to back contract demands.
Wages, benefits, mandatory overtime, job security, and the contracting out of services remain key sticking issues in the labour dispute.
In a statement from Clear Medical Imaging it states: "Clear Medical Imaging went back to table with the intention of having a discussion about our financial reality and about how we may be able to structure a counteroffer. Unfortunately, Unifor was unwilling to engage in that discussion. We are working at the moment to determine any next steps."