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OTTAWA, Ont. Local 4000 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing workers at Travois Medical Transfer, turned down the employer’s final offer, last night. As a result, the 60 workers are now in a legal strike position.
Both parties met in Toronto on Wednesday, September 16, in a last hope to reach a first collective agreement. After a tough day of discussions, the employer offered the union a final offer to bring to their members.
Yesterday, members voted on that offer. It was rejected by two thirds of the membership.
After these results, Bruce Waller, president of CUPE local 4000, wanted to underline the strong spirit of solidarity among the workers. Our members sent a pretty clear message today. Two thirds of us told Travois that we are serious about respect and fairness. At $11 an hour, we can easily say that our members don’t receive fair treatment for the work they do. We are simply fighting for liveable wages and decent working conditions.
As for what should happen in the following days, Waller says he is willing to resume bargaining and hopefully avoid a long labour conflict. Our phone is always on and we are willing to have discussions with the employer. Our first objective is to avoid a disruption of services that could affect a lot of people in the Ottawa area. The reality is that the employer basically forced us towards a strike and left us with no other option but to reject his final offer.
CUPE Local 4000 represents around 60 specialized workers at Travois Medical Transfer, providing medical transportation and patient monitoring all across Eastern Ontario.
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For more information please contact:
Serge Lalonde, CUPE National Representative: (613) 806-6643
Luc Tittley, CUPE Communications: (416) 910-2389
