Civilian workers at Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay are on strike.

This is a battle that has been brewing for some time, since SERCo, a private contractor, took over non-military duties at the base.

Talks finally broke down Thursday night and at midnight, picket lines went up.

Randy Ford, Local PSAC President

The main gate to the base. Normally, these people would be on their way to work inside. But now, they're manning a picket line. They're fighting to get back and improve on a contract that was stripped away a year ago.

Although they have been in negotiations, union leaders say Serco hasn't even offered any wage increase or other benefits they had before privatization.

The mood changed on Friday morning when Serco manager Phil Cutts tried to cross through the picket line with a non union driver. One picketer, Randy Ford, said, "We want to make them notice that (SERCO) you've come to the wrong place if you plan to come here and tramp all over people's human rights. We won't stand for it, we're tired of it."

Phil Cutts, Serco Manager

Another said, "There are a lot of people on this base right now, quite a substantial number, that are making just as much or more on the picket line than they are with the company."

The sole reason for this base is to host nations like Germany who train in low level flying here. As of Friday, they're still flying, but their soldiers and pilots are without hot water - the steam plant is shut down.

The union says the essential staff at the fire hall is below the number required to properly handle an emergency during flying operations. A spokesman for the Canadian Armed Forces, who host the allies, would say no more than that they have sufficient firefighters to handle any emergency. They want to leave the fight between SERCo and the union.

SERCo Manager Phil Cutts would not do an interview with CBC but agreed to read a statement: "We are not in agreement with the union in three areas and have proposed to submit these issues to the labor board and be bound by its decision."

Those three areas, according to a Serco newsletter, include wage increases, seniority and sick leave - the same issues the union walked out for on Thursday night.