Tonight at 12:01 a.m. (August 12, 2026), workers at National Steel Car are going on strike. I stand with them. ✊
Today, members of USW Local 7135 overwhelmingly rejected the proposed contract. 858 workers voted No. 234 voted Yes. That is a 79% rejection among valid votes.
That is not a close vote.
That is workers speaking collectively and clearly.
Hamilton is a working-class city. Generations of people have gone through factory gates, worked long shifts, raised their families and built their lives here. The prosperity of this city exists because of their labour.
And when workers overwhelmingly decide that what is being offered to them is not good enough, I believe we should listen.
National Steel Car workers have fought these battles before. In 2023, Local 7135 members spent six weeks on strike before winning improvements to wages, pensions, benefits and workplace protections.
There is also a serious history behind why dignity and safety matter at this workplace. The United Steelworkers documented the deaths of three National Steel Car workers over a 21-month period between 2020 and 2022 while repeatedly calling for stronger workplace protections.
This is part of why I am running for Mayor.
I don’t believe working people should become visible to politicians only during election season. Workers are Hamilton.
They are our neighbours. Our parents. Our friends. The people beside us on the bus. The people paying mortgages and rent, buying groceries, raising children and wondering whether their paycheque will stretch far enough.
A mayor should understand that when workers are fighting for dignity, safety and a fair share of what their labour creates, that matters to the entire city.
City Hall should never forget who built Hamilton or who continues to build it every single day.
To the workers of USW Local 7135 heading to the picket line tonight: I see you, I respect the decision you have made together, and I stand in solidarity with you.
Hamilton belongs to working people.
✊❤️ In Solidarity.
Vote Scarlett for Mayor of the @CityofHamilton