CALEDON, ON – Approximately 80 outside workers with the Town of Caledon have given their union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE Local 966), a strong strike mandate after negotiations hit a recent impasse. “We’ve been without a contract since March 31, 2015,” said Cam Richardson, a long-time arborist with the parks department and unit chair of the union local at the Town of Caledon. “Our members are sending a clear message with this week’s 88% strike vote: it’s time to get moving.”
Local 966 recently requested the assistance of a conciliator from the Ministry of Labour. A conciliator has been appointed and Local 966 is hopeful that her assistance will result in more productive bargaining.
Compensation, workload, and capacity to provide quality public services are among the key issues at the bargaining table. “Caledon has expanded greatly in recent years, and is set for continued expansion,” said Richardson. “The community has legitimate needs in terms of public services – and yet, we’ve barely added any staff to provide those services. Our goal is to make sure we can provide and protect the public services this burgeoning community relies on. At a minimum, we need to expand our capacity in the roads department to meet population growth demands, as well as in parks and recreation.”
“We are calling on the Town of Caledon to return to the bargaining table with us and get serious about negotiating a deal that both respects our members and provides the services this community requires,” said Richardson.
For more information, please contact:
Cam Richardson
Unit Chair, CUPE Local 966
(905) 757-4073
Bobby Nand
CUPE National Representative
(416) 898-5817
Andrea Addario
CUPE Communications
(416) 738-4329
