Olymel strike ends

Workers at the Olymel plant in Quebec have accepted a new contract, ending a two-week strike that disrupted hog marketing across Quebec, Ontario and into the United States.

Olymel Vallée-Jonction employs 940 union members who ratified a tentative agreement that includes a lump sum of $800 and $55 per year, as of the signing.

They also get a two per cent salary increase the first two years, and 1.5 per cent increase in the last year of an six-year contract.

Union president Martin Maurice says his team negotiated the "maximum" under the circumstances, since Olymel threatened to close the evening shift if an agreement was not reached.