The City of Winnipeg and its largest union both say they hope to return to the bargaining table in an effort to settle a contract dispute that’s nontheless headed toward a strike vote today.
Approximately 4,660 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 are eligible to take part in today’s vote, which is expected to give union negotiators a strike mandate.
The additional leverage, however, does not guarantee an actual strike, as it is common for unions and employers to work out contracts following a strike mandate.
As well, both the city and CUPE used conciliatory language on Thursday to characterize their dispute. Talks between the two sides broke off last week, when CUPE brass deemed a four-year city contract offer unacceptable.
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BURNABY, BC—Members of CUPE 7000, SkyTrain workers, supported their bargaining committee’s recommendations and voted on February 11 to take strike action if needed.
“We hope it doesn’t come to that,” says CUPE 7000 president Gerry Cunningham. “We don’t want to inconvenience the thousands of commuters who rely daily on the services we provide.”
The current contract expired August 31, 2010 and both sides have been in bargaining since then. After about 30 sessions, BCRTC put forward a final offer that was unanimously rejected by CUPE’s bargaining committee. The committee asked the membership to support their actions and give them a strike mandate.
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A strike involving thousands of workers could be coming soon, as talks between the union and the City of Winnipeg have broken down.
CUPE 500 represents 4,600 workers who handle city services. A city spokesperson and CUPE 500 president Mike Davidson say both sides are open to talking, but at this point negotiations have broken off.
The CUPE 500 members are scheduled to vote on the city’s offer on Feb. 18. CTV News has obtained a bulletin from the union suggesting that members reject the offer.
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WINDSOR, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Jan. 17, 2011) - After enduring slow pace of contract negotiations, and concession demands by the University of Windsor Administration, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1001 is the second union to vote for a strike in a week. CUPE Local 1001 is comprised of over 300 full and part-time foodservices, housekeeping, grounds and maintenance workers. A meeting to report on the progress of negotiations was held yesterday and resulted in a vote with 93 per cent of members in support of a strike mandate for the bargaining committee.
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WINDSOR, Ont. — The union representing 230 University of Windsor employees, from maintenance workers to student recruiters, will hold a strike vote today as the season of labour negotiations begins to heat up.
Aldo DiCarlo, president of CUPE Local 1393, said union members will meet at 4:30 this afternoon at the Toldo Building to be given an update on the state of bargaining and the outstanding issues before casting their votes. He stressed the meeting is an “official strike vote” and not merely a show of support for possible job action. He declined to comment on outstanding issues and would not disclose a strike deadline prior to meeting with the membership.
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The national and Ontario presidents of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, who visited the picket line Tuesday to express support for the worker’s pension fight, brought a generous cheque for the strike fund as well as their encouraging words.
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CUPE National President Paul Moist, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and CUPE members will be picketing tomorrow in Hamilton, ON in support of the locked-out USWA Local 1005.
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The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 966, representing nearly 300 public health nurses in Peel, met last Thursday with a conciliator in a bid to “reach a fair agreement before Christmas.”
“This employer has given salary increases to management and non-union staff in 2010 and we are not going to be left out,” said Mary-Jo Falle, president of CUPE 966, referring to the Region of Peel.
The union and Peel have been in negotiations over an improved deal for nurses since August. In September, union members voted overwhelmingly (97 per cent) in favour of a strike. Their strike deadline is Jan. 31.
The union said a major sticking point for nurses revolves around the concept of “life/work balance.”
Peel is asking nurses to alter their hours of work to “start earlier in the morning and finish later at night,” the union says.
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A 3 per cent salary increase for the city’s unionized employees means your tax bill will go up by 4.8 per cent next year.
That’s one of the realities facing city councillors as they deliberate the 2011 budget against the backdrop of upcoming negotiations with its unions.
The city’s collective agreements with its approximately 25 unions expire on Dec. 31. That means employee-related costs — which make up about half of the city’s $1.3 billion total operating budget — will be among the most difficult issues facing council during this year’s deliberations.
And both the city and the unions are priming for battle.
The city says the average homeowner’s tax bill will go up by $134 if unionized employees receive a 3 per cent salary increase, the same amount they received last year. However, Darren Vernon, the president of the city’s largest union, CUPE Local 5167, says the city should do everything it can to avoid a strike similar to those that paralyzed other municipalities earlier this year.
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On December 13, the blue-collar workers union and the City of Sherbrooke have reached an agreement on essential services to be maintained during the strike scheduled to run from December 26 to January 7.
The agreement was achieved through the mediation of the Essential Services Council, which will also enforce its application. It covers a range of situations where blue-collar workers will be expected to intervene: snowfall of ten inches in 48 hours, black ice, broken water mains, road subsidence, broken traffic lights, street cleanup after accidents, and other services. It also requires the maintenance of services such as drinking water, wastewater purification, and sanitation in key municipal buildings.
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