CUPE Locals Reach Tentative Deals With City
Posted July 27, 2009 1:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It appears one of the last obstacles to the ultimate resolution of the city’s 36-day-old civic worker strike has been removed.
At 3:30pm Monday, CUPE Local 79 spokesperson Ann Dembinski announced that a tentative deal between inside workers and the city had been reached.
Earlier Monday, CUPE Local President Mark Ferguson announced the basis for a deal was in place for outside workers, but suggested nothing would be finalized until the sister local had ironed out its issues.
“Compromises have been made in several different areas but it is a deal that we are proud of,” Ferguson said.
Shortly after Dembinski spoke later, Mayor David Miller announced that deals with both locals had been arrived at, confirming that, “when ratified (they will) bring an end to the municipal worker strike.”
“I’m pleased we have been able to reach these settlements,” Mayor Miller added. “The agreements mean our employees can return to work and resume delivering the excellent public services Torontonians expect and deserve. The strike has been a difficult period for our city.”
Specific details of the agreements will be released once they are ratified by union members and City Council.
City Manager Joe Pennachetti thanked the city’s negotiating teams for their efforts in reaching a fair and affordable agreement as well as non-union and management staff for keeping critical services running.
“We want to thank Torontonians for their patience and civic pride during what has been a very challenging time,” Pennachetti said. “We ask that Torontonians remain patient for a few more days while we get our staff back in place and get city services back to regular levels.”
The two union locals went on strike together on June 22: CUPE Local 416, which represents 6,200 outdoor workers, and CUPE Local 79, which represents 18,000 indoor employees.
Key issues included employees’ desire to keep 18 sick days a year to be banked and cashed out at retirement. There were also conflicts over job security, scheduling and seniority rights. Members had been working without a contract since December 31.
And while the strike resolution put smiles on many faces, Dembinski did hint that the union’s relationship with City Hall had suffered a bruising.
“Labour relations has been set back decades,” she lamented. “It will not be the same for years to come because of this labour disruption.”
It’s not only garbage collection that was affected. Ferry services, city-run day cares and summer camps, and swimming pools have been effectively shuttered for the much of summer.
As for the plans to resume regular services, those details are to be expected to be announced in the coming days, though there were reports union workers hoped to be back on the job by Thursday.
City staff are being asked to check the city’s website for further information on the return to work as Miller promised no further comment Monday.
