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WHITBY, Ont. – As the potential management/labour dispute looms on Friday, June 13 at 12:01 a.m., the union representing the Region of Durham’s ‘inside’ municipal workers are urging their employer to back off their concession demands so a fair contract can be reached to avoid a possible service shutdown.
“Our members have spoken and they’ve given us a mandate to secure a fair deal without any concessions,” says Pauline Hopley, president of CUPE 1764. “In spite of the employer’s divide-and-conquer tactics, our members remain united, and we are determined to go back to the bargaining table and meet our goal – a fair contract.” Members of CUPE 1764 voted over the past two days to back their bargaining committee’s strike mandate if a fair contract cannot be reached.
Both parties are scheduled to return to the bargaining table with the help of a provincial mediator on June 11 and 12. The 1500 ‘inside’ municipal workers will be in a legal lockout or strike position at 12:01 a.m., Friday, June 13. Concession demands by management are what led talks to this critical juncture.
“All it takes is for the employer to back off their concession demands and a deal can be reached,” said Hopley. “We’ve been upfront with the employer from the very beginning that we want a fair deal so our members can continue to serve Durham residents.”
“Mediation talks will be management’s last chance to back off their concession demands before the deadline,” continued Hopley. “If there is a service disruption, management and council will be responsible for it as they are the ones who pushed us there.”
Some of the services that could be affected by a management/labour dispute include child care services, social services, EMS, lab water testing, court services and others. CUPE 1764 represents ‘inside’ workers including planners, social service workers, child care workers and clerical staff, courtroom staff, economic development and public policy staff, health unit and EMS workers, among others. Their last contract expired on March 31, 2014.
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For further information, please contact:
Pauline Hopley, President of CUPE 1764, 905-441-3116
Michelle Miller, CUPE National Representative, 905-433-4760
James Chai, CUPE Communications, 905-739-3999
