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Lindsay Post (ON)
Tue 15 Jan 2008
Page: 1
Section: Front
Byline: John Chambers
About 400 full and part-time city employees with local 855 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) could be on the picket lines by early February if two days of conciliation fail to reach an agreement between the union and management with the City of Kawartha Lakes.
CUPE 855 members provide public services including roads maintenance, snow removal, parks and recreation, water and waste treatment, landfill, accounting, administrative, library, customer service, Information Technology, by-law enforcement, social services and others.
In an attempt to raise awareness to the ongoing talks members of local 855 held an information rally Saturday morning in Lindsay.
Adding his voice to the call for fair bargaining was CUPE Ontario president Sid Ryan.
“If you have to go on strike, and I believe sincerely that from time to time it’s good for workers to turn around to their boss once in a while, and say that we have some respect and when you start to disrespect us the only thing that we can do is to withdraw our services,” Ryan said.
“I know you have given yourself a very strong strike mandate and sometimes it needs to be exercised.”
After exchanging proposals on Nov. 8, 2007, CUPE local 855 held a strike vote a month later which gave them an overwhelming strike mandate.
Inside bargaining members – which include clerical, customer service and social services staff, among others – voted 100 per cent in favour of the strike mandate, while outside bargaining unit members – consisting of building maintenance staff, snow plough operators and others – voted 99 per cent in favour.
Ryan told the crowd of more than 100 CUPE members that no one necessarily wants to go on strike, but there is a time and a place for ensuring that the needs of the workers are being addressed.
“We don’t necessarily want to go on strike, but if we have to, we will; we will if we have to to protect our jobs and we are prepared to fight for our jobs, and in the course of that fight you have to know you’re not standing alone,” he said.
At the heart of the talks is job protection and contract language that would end the city’s ability to contract out work.
Lyn Edwards, president of CUPE local 855 said they are concerned with the amount of work being delivered to private companies.
“We want the elimination of contracting out work and we want more full time staff hired,” said Edwards, who told members at the rally they have “horrendous work loads” and that needs to be addressed.
While neither side has been able to reach an agreement to date, Edwards said she is “hopeful” the two sides will reach consensus before the end of conciliation talks.
During Saturday’s information rally and march down Kent Street, Ryan told supporters local 855 demands language that will protect workers and their families today and in the future.
“The City of Kawartha Lakes is not going to starve local 855 into submission, ” he said.
“We demand some contract language at that bargaining table that is going to allow us to make sure that in the future that we have decent jobs and that our children coming in behind us have decent jobs in Kawartha Lakes, and that it’s not going to be contracted out to the lowest bidder, to the lowest contractor.”
“Get back to the bargaining table, give us some decent language, so that we can go forward with our heads held high and do the jobs that we have been doing for the last number of years and do it with pride, and do it so the residents of the City of Kawartha Lakes can say we have a good, decent work force that knows there jobs and we demand that you respect us,” Ryan added.
Conciliation was scheduled for yesterday and today (Monday, and Tuesday) Jan. 14 and 15.
The current CUPE local 855 contract expired December 31, 2007.
