At a BC Mine Strike, Tensions Flare over Alleged Scabs

By the time I arrived at the gate to the Highland Valley Copper mine about 50 kilometres west of Kamloops, the line of coach buses idling in the middle of B.C. Highway 97C was three long. Behind their dark-tinted windows, picketing workers told me, were the mine managers and supervisors trying to keep the mine running.

About three dozen people were gathered near the mine entrance. Some warmed themselves around two campfires. Others walked back and forth across the entrance to the mine, flying the flag of their union, United Steelworkers Local 7619. They blocked the line of buses from entering the mine, and a line of trucks, carrying copper concentrate and heavy-duty equipment, from leaving.

“You’re carrying hot product,” one mineworker said to a truck driver through a megaphone. “Scab.”

This, more or less, has been the scene outside the Highland Valley Copper mine 24-7 since more than 1,200 workers walked off the job Oct. 24.

Sarah Payne, a spokesperson for the mine’s owner, Teck Resources, said in an email that mine operations are continuing at a reduced capacity. Highland Valley Copper mine is one of the largest open-pit mines in Canada, with a $499-million profit reported in 2025.

“We remain committed to reaching a negotiated collective agreement that is fair, responsible and supports the long-term success of our B.C. employees, operation and communities,” Payne said.

But to the picketing workers, it’s not clear how. The Vancouver-based mining company did not answer questions about mine operations. The lack of transparency is why, on the picket line, workers are increasingly concerned about the use of replacement workers, often called “scabs.”

With a 100 per cent vote to strike, the miners are demanding Vancouver-based mining company Teck Resources make a better wage offer and take a 25 per cent cut to their pensions off the bargaining table. According to union reps, the health effects of silica dust and degrading mine equipment are a key concern at the table. Workers also say that attitudes towards safety protocols at the mine have lapsed over the years.

And despite the winter weather, the company’s tactics and the lean strike pay, many on the line told me they were in it for the long haul. Already, the union has set up heated washrooms, a trailer and a plywood-sheltered kitchen near the mine entrance. Because the mine operates day and night, the picket line does too, with workers showing up to picket in 12-hour shifts.

“I’ve worked at five or six mines in my career,” one worker told me, without sharing his name. “It’s never been as bad as this.”

B.C.’s labour code prohibits employers from hiring another person, or using a contractor, to engage in the work of a striking employee. It also prohibits employers from redirecting employees from other sites to do the work of a striking employee.

The Tyee has not found any evidence that Teck is in violation of the labour code.

Still, members on the picket line say they have seen the contractors hired to move copper concentrate out of the mine and the people bused in behind dark-tinted windows, and called them “scabs.” The miners’ concerns about replacement workers came to a head Monday evening.

By then, the picketers had settled into a routine: Once about every eight days, each mineworker showed up for a 12-hour shift on the picket line. At 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day, a new cohort of workers would show up to relieve the previous crew. Workers would allow one bus in and one bus out every five minutes.

Then, at 6 p.m., the pattern broke. The crowd parted to let one transport truck out of the mine. As it lumbered onto Highway 97C, the truck behind it moved toward the gate. The picketers walked back to the middle of the road, to close up the line. The semi, loaded up with heavy-duty equipment, jerked to a halt. The driver sounded his horn, then inched the freighter forward again. And again.

A security guard clad in neon yellow hopped up on the truck’s cab entry step, to speak with the driver. Shouts of “Hey,” “Stop” and “Scab” grew louder, as picket workers rushed to the front of the truck. The semi inched forward, pushing three workers.

The shouting turned profane. One miner dropped his flag and walked toward the truck’s cab. Several pulled out their phones, and someone yelled, “Call the police.”

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s rendition of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” played loud and clear over the whole scene.

RCMP Cpl. Brett Urano said in an email that he does not confirm or deny whether police are investigating the truck driver showdown outside the copper mine. Police have not yet recommended charges.

Nobody was injured in the incident. One of the picketers told me it felt as if the semi-trailer truck “shoved” him. He told me he was shaken.

And for good reason, another mineworker told me: one driver leaving the mine had already swerved toward a picketer (she showed me the video). And last week, a representative for Service Employees International Union Local 2 was struck by a vehicle while picketing a Surrey golf course.

Impatient drivers are not the only challenge on the picket line. The strikers have been out in rain and snow. Teck is withholding vacation pay until the job action ends, they tell me. And strike pay is only $300 per week.

Teck did not respond to questions about withholding vacation pay.

Still, others in the labour movement have rallied around the miners. When the United Steelworkers Local 7619 members first walked off the job, they said, some of the other union workers in the mine walked off the job in solidarity — hiking all the way down the two-kilometre road from the production site to the mine entrance.

On Saturday and Sunday, BC Federation of Labour members blocked off the entrance to a North Vancouver port, in an effort to stop the concentrate coming out of Highland Valley Copper. The organization, which represents 500,000 unionized workers, has asked affiliate unions not to touch mine products during the strike.

On Monday, other union members joined the Highland Valley Copper picket line to almost completely block traffic in and out of the mine. Among their ranks were members of the BC General Employees’ Union, Service Employees International Union Local 2, the BC Federation of Labour and United Steelworkers Local 480.

To the union, it’s unclear whether the strike and “hot edict” on the mine’s products are having an effect on Teck’s bottom line.

Since the strike started, the company's stock has fluctuated both up and down.

In a press release the day workers walked off the job, Teck said the impact on overall production will depend on how long the action lasts.

“Contingency plans are in place with the priority to maintain safety and environmental management during labour action,” a Teck spokesperson said.

The mine is a major employer in the region. The municipality of Logan Lake, B.C., was purpose-built in 1970 to house workers at the Highland Valley Copper mine. According to the latest census data available, about a quarter of its workforce still works in mining. Today, many of the mineworkers commute from Kamloops, Ashcroft or Merritt.

Without the mine running, some Logan Lake residents have noticed the change. Fay McNaught said that before the strike, every day at about 5 a.m., she used to watch workers drive in for their 12-hour shifts.

“It’s like Vancouver traffic in the morning,” she said. “Now, there's hardly any traffic — except for the buses.”

On Monday, McNaught set up a camping chair along the picket line, blocking buses from entering the mine. She worked as a temp for the union hall for 18 years before moving on to other work.

“These people work hard,” she said. “They do their jobs, and there's all these profits — any other company would for more or less share.”

She’s repeating a complaint many of the miners have — that despite high profits and copper production, the company is not putting forward a wage offer that meets the rising cost of living.

According to Teck’s latest quarterly results report, the company made $1.69 billion in gross profit last quarter, up from $660 million the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the union says, the company is offering low wages and asking for concessions at the bargaining table, such as the 25 per cent pension cut.

One worker who arrived for a night shift on the picket line calculated the pension cut would lose him nearly $150,000. It’s why he said the union’s 12,000 members are determined to hold the line.