1,200 Workers Walk Off the Job at Canada's Largest Copper Mine

More than 1,200 unionized workers walked off the job on Saturday at Highland Valley Copper near Logan Lake, B.C., after failed contract talks, and Teck Resources confirmed that strike action by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7619 has commenced at the site. What Teck calls Canada's largest copper mine is still running, but only at a reduced capacity. The dispute is about wages, pensions, staff shortages, and retention. For Metaintro readers who work in mining or the skilled trades, this strike shows how the union's concern over trades shortages is shaping a contract fight.

What Happened at Highland Valley Copper?

Teck received strike notice from the local, which entitled the union to begin strike action on October 24, 2026 at the earliest. The old deal had already lapsed, since the collective agreement reached the end of its term on September 30, 2026.

The walkout came once a 72-hour notice served by USW Local 7619 expired after contract talks failed to produce a new collective agreement. Picket lines went up at the main gate of Highland Valley Copper on Highway 97C between Ashcroft and Logan Lake, and drivers in the area were asked to take care.

Teck is committed to reaching a collective agreement that is fair and reasonable for employees and supports the ongoing viability of the operation. It has contingency plans in place with the priority to maintain safety and environmental management during the strike.

How Many Workers Are on Strike?

Membership of the local stands at 1,277 members of United Steelworkers Local 7619, a figure from the Ashcroft Journal.

The whole operation has approximately 1,500 direct jobs and C$500 million (about US$357 million) in annual GDP, July 2025 figures.

The striking staff are tradespeople, operations, analytical, metallurgy, warehouse and janitorial workers.

Union president Kyle Wolff counted over 350 to 400 picketers on day one, with a big picket planned for Monday.

What Are the Workers Asking For?

The union cites wages, pensions and worker retention as key issues. It is seeking higher wages and improved pensions, arguing the mine faces challenges attracting and retaining skilled workers amid staffing shortages. Its proposals aim to improve wages and pensions to ensure Highland Valley Copper remains a competitive employer as B.C.'s mining industry grows.

Safety and workplace conduct are on the list too. Wolff pointed to safety issues outstanding, issues around trades retention, and the ministry of mines report around bullying and harassment as items still open at the bargaining table.

The company did move before the walkout. Teck presented a revised monetary offer and withdrew a concession, but the union said the proposal continued to fall short of members' expectations and did not reflect the company's financial success. Other concession demands remained on the table.

Neither side has made public the size of the wage increase it wants or has offered, or which concessions are still in play.

We have a very well organized strike where we're prepared to bargain, but we're prepared to tough this one out, USW Local 7619 president Kyle Wolff said, according to the CBC News strike report.

How Did Contract Talks Break Down?

Bargaining ran for months before the strike. Negotiations for a new deal began on June 9, with meetings continuing throughout July, August, and September, and the union broke off talks on Oct. 8 to seek a strike mandate.

Members voted over two days on Oct. 16 and 17, and 944 members participated in the strike mandate vote, and all of them voted yes. The bargaining committee called it the strongest strike vote in the history of the local.

The 72-hour notice was issued at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after the company tabled its monetary counter. The company then reached out again, but talks on Oct. 21 and 22 failed to result in a new collective agreement.

On strike day the bargaining committee said "we have done everything we could to prevent a labour dispute", adding that the two sides were still far apart. The committee also said, "It's our time to show this company that we are worth more than what they have offered."

The union and the company are both on record as committed to reaching an agreement.

Why Does the Union Say Tradespeople Are Leaving?

The union says workers have continued to leave the operation and has raised concerns about Teck's ability to attract and keep skilled workers, especially in the trades.

Wolff put the count at "what, 12 different mines opening up in British Columbia", all in massive expansions, with Highland Valley trying to hire the same trades. He named the gaps as pipefitters, electricians, carpentry, HVAC mechanics, and others.

In May 2025 the Mining Association of BC released an independent study, prepared for it, of 27 mining projects in advanced stages of development representing C$90 billion (about US$64 billion) in economic activity, with construction alone estimated at over C$41 billion (about US$29.3 billion) in near-term investment. That construction would bring thousands of jobs that will generate C$27 billion (about US$19.3 billion) in labour income, and C$20 billion (about US$14.3 billion) worth of goods and services being purchased from mine suppliers across the province. The sector supports more than 56,000 jobs in the province.

Which Trades Are in Demand Across British Columbia?

The provincial outlook shows why mines are fighting over the same people. Under B.C.'s Labour Market Outlook, 2025 Edition, 15 skilled trades are expected to account for 72,070 job openings over the next 10 years.

Carpentry, one of the trades Wolff named, is on that list, and so is a general electrician category that excludes industrial and power system electricians. The job openings for 2025 to 2035 include:

• Carpenters, 10,420 openings
• Electricians (except industrial and power system), 3,930 openings

Other trades on the same list include:

• Welders and related machine operators, 3,110 openings
• Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics, 2,760 openings
• Heavy-duty equipment mechanics, 2,350 openings
• Heavy equipment operators, 4,490 openings

These trades require on-the-job and in-class training, and WorkBC describes their earning potential as excellent.

How Big Is Highland Valley Copper, and How Much Does It Earn?

The mine sits approximately 17 kilometres west of Logan Lake and about 50 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, and Teck holds a 100% interest in HVC. It produces both copper and molybdenum concentrates, which are shipped overseas and mostly sold to smelters under long-term contracts.

Its finances improved in 2025, with revenue of C$1,883 million (about US$1,345 million) in 2025, up from C$1,303 million (about US$931 million) in 2024, and gross profit of C$499 million (about US$356 million), up from C$221 million (about US$158 million). Gross profit before depreciation and amortization was C$850 million (about US$607 million) in 2025, against C$471 million (about US$336 million) in 2024. Copper production was 127 thousand tonnes in 2025, against 102 thousand tonnes in 2024, and copper sales were 126 thousand tonnes in 2025, against 103 thousand tonnes in 2024.

Second-quarter 2026 results continued the trend. Highland Valley's gross profit before depreciation and amortization was C$589 million (about US$421 million), against C$185 million (about US$132 million) a year earlier. Across the whole company, profit attributable to shareholders was C$854 million (about US$610 million) in that quarter. Copper prices averaged a record US$6.05 a pound in Q2 2026.

Teck and Anglo American agreed on September 9, 2025 to a merger of equals to form Anglo Teck, a company that would be headquartered in Canada, and shareholders of both companies approved the merger on December 9, 2025.

What Does the Mine Life Extension Mean for Jobs at the Site?

The strike lands in the middle of a major build. In July 2025 Teck's board approved the Highland Valley Copper Mine Life Extension, which pushes the mine's life from 2028 through to 2046 with average copper production of 132,000 tonnes a year over the life of the mine.

The expansion is predicted to produce approximately 900 million additional tonnes of ore and nearly two million additional tonnes of copper over the mine's expanded life.

The capital estimate is between C$2.1 and C$2.4 billion (about US$1.5 to US$1.7 billion), to be spent from the second half of 2025 through 2028, and Teck calls the total the largest critical minerals investment in British Columbia history. The money covers site infrastructure and facilities, expansion of the mine fleet, grinding circuit upgrades, increased tailings storage capacity, and enhancements to power and water systems. The project also includes a mine pushback that requires additional waste-stripping to access high-quality ore within the Valley Pit. The environmental assessment certificate and required permits were issued in June 2025, with construction set to commence in full in August 2025, and at approval engineering was nearly 70% complete.

For workers, the extension is what keeps the site open at all. Without it, the mine would have ended production in 2028. Teck expects the project to generate approximately 2,900 jobs and C$435 million (about US$311 million) in additional GDP during the construction phase. The construction workforce is put at 500 to 1,250 jobs, plus approximately 200 more permanent jobs by the Ashcroft Journal.

Copper was known in the valley as early as 1886, but it was not until 1960 that Bethlehem Copper Corporation made an agreement to bring the site into production. Lornex began mining on the south side of the valley in 1972, and in 1981 Cominco, which owned the claim to a deposit west of Bethlehem, purchased that company to consolidate operations. Teck Highland Valley Copper was created in 1986, when the area mining operations of Lornex and Cominco were combined, and in 1988 the Highmont Mining Company joined the partnership. The site celebrated 40 years of operations in August.

How Could the Strike Affect Copper Supply?

Teck has not put a number on lost output.

The impact on overall production will depend on the duration of the labour action, Teck said, according to the Teck operations update release.

Before the strike, Highland Valley was expected to produce between 115,000 and 135,000 tons of copper this year, Bloomberg reported, and while it is smaller than major mines such as Escondida in Chile and Grasberg in Indonesia, it is an important supplier to the North American market.

The strike threat arrived with copper prices close to record highs and supply constrained by operational disruptions. Workers at Antofagasta's Centinela mine in Chile recently ended a 10-day strike, while BHP narrowly avoided action at Escondida after reaching a deal with its workforce.

Repeated mine disruptions have been strengthening the bargaining position of workers seeking a greater share of higher mining profits, Bloomberg reported. Other pay disputes this year include the Micron union strike plan in Taoyuan over AI profit sharing and the BHP port workers strike over pay.

What This Means for Mine Workers and Tradespeople, and What Should You Do Next?

For job seekers, this dispute is a test of what skilled trades are worth to British Columbia mines. The mine's gross profit rose last year and its union cites tradespeople leaving, while Teck wants an agreement that also supports the ongoing viability of the operation.

For tradespeople, the lesson travels well beyond Logan Lake. When an employer is short of the trades it needs and other mines are hiring for the same skills, pensions and retention terms are part of the negotiation, not only the hourly rate.

• If you are a striking member, the open items include pay, pensions, trades retention and safety, so compare any tentative deal on all of them, not only on the wage line.
• If you are a tradesperson elsewhere in B.C., a trade on the province's top demand trades list puts your ticket in demand. Use that when you price your next move.
• If you are new to mining, the industry needs to hire 35,000 workers over the next 10 years in British Columbia, in the Mining Association of BC estimate, and carpenters sit on the province's top demand trades list.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: When every mine in the province is hiring the same electrician, the electrician sets the terms. Know what your trade is worth before you sign anything.

Related Articles

• Hyundai Workers Walk Out Over Bonuses and Robot Job Fears
• De Beers Halts Its Flagship South African Mine as Diamond Demand Collapses
• How Broadway's Cleaners Won a Better Deal Without Walking Out
• Nurse Strikes Are Spreading Across Major US Hospital Systems
• Data Center Boom Has Employers Paying Off Student Loans to Land Electricians and Welders
• Canada's New Submarine Deal Could Anchor Thousands of Shipbuilding Jobs
• Electrician Career Guide, Skills, Earnings, and Job Outlook
• How to Become a Licensed Electrician

People Also Asked

Q: Why are Highland Valley Copper workers on strike?

A: The union wants higher wages and improved pensions, arguing the mine faces challenges attracting and retaining skilled workers amid staffing shortages, and other concession demands remained on the table after Teck's revised offer.

Q: How many workers are on strike at Highland Valley Copper?

A: The local represents about 1,200 workers at the mine, and local reporting puts the membership at 1,277 members of USW Local 7619.

Q: Is Highland Valley Copper still operating during the strike?

A: Yes. Operations are currently continuing at a reduced capacity, with contingency plans focused on safety and environmental management.

Get the inside scoop? Metaintro brings together 50M jobs in one place. Create a free profile and start your search today.