Union leader is retiring as city contract talks nears
Posted August 16, 2011 11:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The union leader representing city workers is retiring just as negotiations between members of CUPE Local 79 and Mayor Rob Ford’s office are set to begin.
President Ann Dembinksi, who represents more than 18,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, says she won’t seek re-election for the position she has held for 11 years. Her term – and the city’s collective agreement with Local 79 – will both end on Dec. 31.
“It consumes your life, a job like this. My phone begins to ring at six at the morning because members know I’m here. The members elected me because they knew me, they knew I was always available to them – and that’s why I’ve been the longest-serving president in this local,” Dembinksi told CityNews.ca
“It’s time that I start to spend time with my family. I have a team in place to ensure that this union will go on”
Dembinksi has worked with the union for 36 years. In a letter to the union., she said no job “has been more fulfilling – or challenging – than that of president.”
The city’s agreement with Local 416 will also end on Dec. 31. The two unions collectively represent about of 30,000 employees.
Dembinksi said negotiations will likely start in 2012.
“We will not be commencing bargaining until the end of this year. We’ve never started bargaining prior to the start of the new year…I will be here to support the local and to give any assistance I can during bargaining, but not as president.”
In June, Ford’s administration told the two unions the city plans to outsource its cleaning and janitorial jobs at police stations. There are concerns among the unions that further cuts are coming as Toronto seeks to trim a $774 million budget deficit.
“Let me tell you, Mayor Rob Ford is the only mayor I have never met,” Dembinski said.
“There has never been a face to face meeting. There has never been a conversation with the mayor. Every other mayor, whether I agreed with what he or she was doing, I have met with. There has never been a conversation with Mayor Ford. It’s unbelievable…I’ve had no dialogue with this man. I think he believes we’re non-existent. We used to work through things. Now there’s no acknowledgment that we can play a role,” she added.
Meanwhile, the City of Toronto is also searching for a new negotiator. Director of employee and labour relations Jim Vair is leaving for a job with the Ontaro government.
