Brampton city workers on strike, some services impacted

Brampton residents are being warned to expect some core city services impacted starting Thursday as hundreds of workers are now on strike.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 831 represents approximately 1,200 full-time and temporary municipal workers including transit, animal control, road maintenance and city hall services.

Workers were in a legal strike position at 1 a.m. on Thursday.

The City said it will prioritize essential and emergency services however, those who take public transit may face longer than normal wait times. It recommends that Brampton Transit riders make alternate travel plans.

“Scheduled transit services are experiencing significant disruptions. Residents are advised to make alternative travel arrangement,” a statement from the City of Brampton reads.

“During this strike, certain City services are impacted, while others continue to operate as usual. You may experience delays, reduced capacity or temporary cancellations.”

CUPE Local 831 shared on its website that its workers had opted for strike action.

The union said it has been working for close to nine months on a new contract, and while they characterize their demands as “very reasonable” they admit the two sides are “not close.”

“Management always seems to have the money, we’re asking how come there’s no money for the workers,” said CUPE Local 831 president Fabio Gazzola.

“Management makes more money, so why should their economic increase be more, their benefit plans are significantly better than ours, and their vacation is better than ours. They have far more flexibility with regards to scheduling and working from home, emergencies and so forth.”

City negotiators said while the substance of their talks remains confidential, they are committed to negotiating a multi-year agreement with the workers that ensures fiscal responsibility and is comparable to other GTA municipalities.

Click here for more information on the labour disruption.