Cornwall Ontario – After years of labour peace it seems giving managers double digit raises while freezing hiring and wages for union staff leads to Strike votes.
CUPE issued the following:
Cornwall municipal workers give their union overwhelming strike mandate
CORNWALL, ON – Municipal workers in Cornwall have given their union a strong strike mandate following votes held over the last two weeks. The workers, who are represented by CUPE Locals 234, 3251, 3251-01 and 5734, work for the City in “outside” jobs, “inside” jobs, at the library, and as paramedics. Their combined average strike vote was 93 per cent in favour of taking strike action if necessary. No strike/lockout deadline has as yet been established.
The workers have been without a contract since 2015 (in the case of the library) and 2016 (in the case of the others). They remain frustrated by both the pace of negotiations and the barriers to settlement that they are facing at the bargaining table.
“We are focussed on getting a settlement,” said CUPE National Representative Keith Sandford. “But our members have told us clearly through this vote that they will take job action if they must, for fair working conditions and to defend the quality of public services in Cornwall.”
The locals and the City will enter conciliation – that is talks that will be assisted by a conciliation officer with the Ministry of Labour – at the end of March. “We need to see progress toward settlement during the bargaining dates we have at the end of March,” said Alison Denis, a CUPE National Representative who works with Cornwall paramedics. “This strike vote result tells us clearly that the process needs to head in the direction of resolution.”
The four CUPE locals represent about 450 City Workers.
That’s 93% of the workers who want Clarke gone. He has done nothing during his time here except line himself up bedside a CAO who has also done nothing except give him more money and a fancy title and for what in return? Council and Mr. Mayor this is an election year. You are spineless to deal with this manager who did nothing for years and led us down this path. Fire him, take the CAO with him.
Curious. The union workers mandate includes defending the quality of public service in Cornwall. Do they understand the percentage of taxes that pay salaries, benefits, pensions as well as the other costs attributed to employment? Is this percentage relatively stable or ever increasing? Ask a councillor, they know.
The sad reality is that in many cases, the 2.5% some union contracts want extra is equal to 10% of those funding those salaries.