Mayor's signature on hold

Ryan thorpe
06/12/2018 7:00 PM

A newly discovered clause may give Mayor Brian Bowman a way to snuff out United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg President Alex Forrest’s controversial salary deal.

Bowman will present a motion at Wednesday’s executive policy committee seeking a council vote on the future of the unusual arrangement that’s seen taxpayers on the hook for Forrest’s salary during his 21-year stint as union president. That’s the first step on a narrow pathway that could give the city an out on the deal prior to the next round of collective bargaining in 2021.

The Free Press has learned Bowman has yet to sign the city’s latest collective bargaining agreement with the union, which was voted on and ratified by council in April 2017. The mayor contends that, combined with a newly discovered clause in the contract, gives him the mandate to seek renegotiation of Forrest’s contract pending council support.

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