Stage set for potential February city workers strike or lockout
Posted January 19, 2012 12:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The stage is now set for a major labour disruption involving municipal outside workers after the Ministry of Labour approved a request made by the city, allowing it to lock out employees represented by CUPE Local 416.
The approval of the No Board report on Thursday also lays the groundwork for Local 416 to strike.
Either side has 17 days — by 12:01 a.m. Feb. 5 — to make its move unless the two sides come to an agreement by then. The two sides are still negotiating, which is “significant,” CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson told CityNews.
“We’re back at the bargaining table [Friday],” Ferguson said.
“We’ll share proposals in the afternoon and over the weekend. We’ve made ourselves available on a 24/7 basis. For the first time, it was communicated to me that the city is prepared to negotiate 24/7. That in itself is a significant move.”
In the event of a labour disruption, the city has said it has a contingency plan in place for vital city services such as snow clearing — 75 per cent of that service is outsourced.
“It’s important to note, however, we are still at the table with Local 416 and we are working hard to reach a negotiated settlement. Ultimately, we want an agreement that will allow us to improve City services for residents and businesses,” city manager Joe Pennachetti said in a statement Thursday. “We are willing to conduct meaningful negotiations 24/7 to reach an agreement.”
The TTC, police and fire services, city-run long-term care homes, the Toronto Public Library and Toronto Community Housing properties won’t be affected if a strike or lockout does occur.
In the event of a lockout, only 85 per cent of paramedics would work and no support staff would be on the job.
Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said Thursday he wants to get this contract hammered out before the spring and summer, in an attempt to avoid a situation like the garbage strike that stank up the city nearly three years ago.
“The last time, in [June]2009, negotiations kept on going but they finally broke down and the union went on strike,” he said of the 39-day labour action without garbage collection or city-run daycare service. The union requested the No Board report in that case.
“And what we’re trying to do now is avoid that good weather timeframe because that encourages the union to strike because they know they’ve got the upper hand at that time.”
Local 416 represents about 8,000 city employees, including garbage collectors, road and parks maintenance workers, animal control officers and paramedics.
City negotiators and the union have been trading barbs through the media in recent days. Local 416’s contract expired on Dec. 31 and the two sides have hit an impasse in negotiations, which started in October.
Last Friday, the union offered a three-year wage freeze that it claims would save the city a total of $25.5 million. The city shot down that offer and countered with a four-year proposal that includes taking the so-called “jobs for life” provision out of the contract for workers with less than 25 years of seniority.
The city claims the union’s wage freeze offer was a “ploy” to avoid talks on changing the terms of the contract.
Collective bargaining with the city’s inside workers’ union, CUPE Local 79, continues. That union represents about 23,000 workers. Its contract also expired on Dec. 31. There’s been no request for a No Board report from either side in negotiations with Local 79.
Negotiations with Local 2998, which represents community centre workers, have not yet begun.
