Copy desk · 27 October 2026

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Mining DispatchLabour & operationsCanada, British Columbia

Teck says Highland Valley is on strike and running at reduced capacity. It has not given a tonnage

United Steelworkers Local 7619 walked off Teck’s Highland Valley Copper operation on Saturday. Teck confirmed the strike and said production depends on how long it lasts. The company did not say how much copper is coming out.

By Christopher Ross, Editor and publisherOctober 27, 2026, 5:59 a.m.2 min read

Why this matters: our read

Teck has confirmed the labour action and has not quantified it. Headcount and the size of the strike vote are other outlets’ reporting, not Teck’s. This is the labour fact at that mine, not a second merger analysis.

Key points

  • Teck said on October 24 that strike action by United Steelworkers Local 7619 had commenced at Highland Valley Copper in British Columbia.
  • The company said operations were continuing at reduced capacity and that the production effect would depend on the duration of the labour action.
  • Teck’s release gives no tonnes, no headcount and no revised guidance.
  • CBC, on October 25, reported more than 1,200 workers off the job. CFJC Today reported a unanimous strike vote among 944 members who cast ballots, and a contract that expired September 30.

Teck Resources said on October 24 that strike action by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7619 had commenced at its Highland Valley Copper operations in British Columbia. The company said operations were “currently continuing at a reduced capacity,” that the impact on overall production would depend on the duration of the labour action, and that contingency plans were in place with the priority to maintain safety and environmental management. It said it was committed to a collective agreement that is “fair and reasonable for employees and supports the ongoing viability of the operation.” The release names no tonnes, no headcount and no change to guidance.

CBC News, in an October 25 report by Catherine Garrett, said more than 1,200 unionized workers walked off the job Saturday after contract talks failed, and that the staff includes trades, operations, analytical, metallurgy, warehouse and janitorial workers. CBC quoted union president Kyle Wolff on outstanding safety issues, trades retention and a mines ministry report around bullying and harassment. Those are Wolff’s statements, reported by CBC, not findings in Teck’s release.

CFJC Today, on October 24, said the union issued 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday evening, that workers were in a legal strike position as of 8:00 a.m. Saturday, and that pickets went up at the mine entrance around 11:00 a.m. It reported that 944 members who participated in the strike vote were in favour, that the previous five-year contract expired September 30, and that the union has raised wages, pensions, benefits and staffing. A CFJC follow-up on October 26 quoted Wolff on the picket line. The two CFJC pieces do not use the same profit figure, and neither figure appears in Teck’s release, so they are not repeated here.

The Highland Valley Copper Mine Life Extension is already inside the Anglo-Teck closing story on this desk. This piece is the labour fact at that asset. Teck has not said how much production has been lost, and no later company update was on the October 24 release when this was checked.

Sources