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UPDATE: Black River-Matheson lockout ends after Township reconsiders and ratifies tentative agreement
BLACK RIVER-MATHESON, Ont. – Fifteen workers who have been locked out for more than 50 days will return to work in the coming days, after the Township Council of Black River-Matheson voted to ratify a tentative agreement reached on Tuesday. The Council vote, held at an emergency meeting on Thursday evening, followed an earlier surprise rejection at a Tuesday evening meeting. The union ratified the tentative agreement overwhelmingly on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are pleased that Council has accepted the advice of its negotiators and ratified this deal,” said Sonya Moffat, president of CUPE Local 1490, representing workers in Black River-Matheson. “Our members have been locked out for nearly two months, and they are eager to get back on the job, delivering quality public services to their neighbours.”
Three employees will return to work today, Friday, and the remainder will return on Monday at the request of the Township.
On August 11, the 22 members of CUPE 1490, municipal workers with the Township of Black River-Matheson, were locked out of their jobs by the township’s mayor and councillors.
These workers provide vital services like roads maintenance, building permits, by-law enforcement, parks and recreational facilities.
“We’re proud to serve our families, friends and neighbours; this lockout came as a shock to us. We were in the middle of negotiations; we had been asked about future bargaining dates,” said Local President Sonya Moffat.
Members are appealing to township residents to call the mayor and their councillors to urge them to end the lockout and restore important services to residents. Local members continue to picket municipal offices in Matheson.
In the absence of negotiations, the local is asking the following questions:
- Why have the mayor and council chosen to lock out workers, especially in an election year?
- Who is running this town? Is it the mayor or the township’s negotiators?
- What is their agenda? Do they want to give our jobs over to private contractors?
- Are they making an example of Black River-Matheson, so that other northern municipalities will attempt the same thing?
Want to learn more? Click here to download the “Fact Vs. Fiction” response to the rumors about the lockout
Click Here to see the photos from the September 6th rally
