CUPE Local 486 is calling on the mayor and council in Saint John to direct city staff to honour its wage escalation policy, which is contained in the union’s latest counter offer.
The membership voted to reject the latest offer, according to union leadership.
It’s about honouring the three-year rolling average of the tax base’s assessment growth and not asking workers to take the increases of six month periods, explained CUPE National representative Mike Davidson.
“The city still hasn’t come to the table with the three year rolling average on assessment base growth for wages,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. “In 2022. it represents a 3.04 per cent, 2023, it’s a 5.35. (In) 2024, they are not offering the three-year rolling average on the assessment base growth to our members.”
Davidson said the city also wants to spread the increases over six months, something the membership is unwilling to accept.
“That’s been another problem on why it was overwhelmingly rejected,” Davidson said.
CUPE wrote a letter to council to urge them to direct staff to accept the union’s offer, which they said aligns with the policy better than the city’s previously rejected offer.
“Our counter offer falls within the guidelines of the policy, why are they rejecting it when they have the ability to approve it within the policy,” Davidson said.
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CUPE Local 486 president Brittany Doyle said they were within a percentage point of reaching a deal and the membership is eager to get back on the job, with the strike now its fourth week.
She said it is imperative the council direct the staff to adhere to the wage escalation policy in the third year of the deal. The union has been without a contract since 2021.
The City of Saint John said its offer does fall in line with wage escalation policy.
In an email statement, it said, “the Wage Escalation Policy is a budget policy, and compliance with the policy is measured by ensuring the overall wage and benefit budget for the city does not increase more than the lessor of the three-year rolling average tax base growth and CPI plus 1%.”
It said it must also ensure that the city doesn’t fall into a budget deficit over a wage offer.
The city said it is inappropriate for the union to be negotiation with council. “The city’s negotiating team leads negotiations on behalf of the City and has since the summer of 2022,” the statement reads.
“Common Council is not part of the negotiating team. It is, therefore, inappropriate for the Union to try to negotiate with Council.”
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