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VAUGHAN, Ont. Part-time clerical and technical staff with the City of Vaughan are beginning to prepare for possible job action after contract negotiations broke off this week.
CUPE 905, which represents the 80 workers, has requested a no-board report, beginning the countdown to a legal strike/lockout deadline of July 2.
This is about fairness and equity, said bargaining unit chair Heather Vidito. These workers, who are mostly women, are the only group of city employees who do not have benefits. And, they earn significantly less than full-time employees who are often doing similar, if not the same, work.
Part-time employees are not even included when it comes to service recognition awards, she said. Long-term, part-time employees can only stand by and watch as full-time employees are recognized for their years of service, knowing that no such awards will come to them.
It’s like they don’t matter, Vidito said, unless the city can use part-time employees to cut costs. Council had no problem finding the millions to build a new city hall, but they won’t provide benefits to their part-time staff.
Vidito said she hopes the city will return to the bargaining table with a better offer before the strike/lockout deadline.
We don’t want to disrupt service for Vaughan residents, she said. But, at this point, I think anyone planning to bring their children to recreation programs, which start the first week of July, should be prepared for chaos.
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For more information, contact:
Heather Vidito, CUPE 905 Bargaining Unit Chair, 416 891-7884
Lorne Trevors, CUPE National Representative, 416-292-3999
Pat Daley, CUPE Communications, 416-616-6142
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