CUPE Local 416 leader’s job in question after meeting with paramedics: report
Posted March 1, 2012 9:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The leader of the union representing Toronto’s outside workers reportedly stormed out of a meeting late Wednesday after declaring he’d quit.
A report in the Globe and Mail claims CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson said he quit after a heated meeting with about 150 paramedics.
The union issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying that Ferguson “has not made any formal decisions regarding a change in his status as president of Local 416.”
He’ll meet with the union’s executive committee about his current and future role when he returns from a two-week break.
“Rumours and hearsay arising from an internal member meeting should not be construed as a formal position of Local 416’s leadership or its President,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, the paramedics were reportedly demanding clarification on Local 416’s new four-year deal with the city, which was adopted earlier this month.
The deal apparently names Toronto EMS (Emergency Medical Services) as an essential service, but doesn’t give paramedics the separate bargaining unit, separate collective agreement and arbitration they wanted.
Paramedics tried to leave the union 12 years ago, but the Ontario Labour Relations Board rejected the request.