City workers vote to strike in contract bid
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/07/2022 (1211 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A union that represents 5,000 City of Winnipeg workers said it has received a strike mandate in its effort for a new contract.
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 said its members had voted 93 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
“We had an overwhelming turnout for the vote and we thank our members for the solidarity they have shown our bargaining committee with this strong mandate,” said president Gord Delbridge. “The results of today’s vote sends a clear message to the city that our members are willing to engage in actions to win a fair and reasonable settlement.”
Delbridge called on city negotiators to return to the bargaining table with a new offer.
Negotiations began shortly after the union’s contract expired on Feb. 28, 2021.
The union had said it couldn’t recommend the city’s latest proposed contract, saying the two sides were far apart on the issue of wages, especially in light of the soaring inflation.
As a result it sought a strike mandate to pressure the city to improve its offer.
Now that it has a strike mandate, the union’s negotiating committee has permission to set a strike date if negotiations proof to be fruitless.
In April, the union wrote an email to city council members that demanded immediate talks on raising wages for 311 staff, including some who are paid $14.11 per hour. The union had said low pay was preventing the city from hiring more 311 employees.
CUPE has said it would prefer to resolve the dispute through bargaining and avoid job action, since that would disrupt several city services, including at libraries and pools, and in the public works and water and waste divisions.
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