Ninety-one per cent of voting members of the Civic Service Union (CSU 52), which represents many City of Edmonton workers, has voted in favour of strike action.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, the union said that 83 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots over the weekend, with 91 per cent of members voting in support of a strike mandate.
Now, the strike vote results are with the Alberta Labour Relations Board. CSU 52 said the process gives the employer 24 hours to “object to the results.”
A strike mandate doesn’t automatically mean a strike.
CSU 52 is the city’s largest labour union. It represents more than 6,000 technical, professional, administrative and clerical workers within the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Public Library including police communications, 911 operators, DATS schedulers, 311 support agents, city planners, safety code and building code officers, permit processors, recreation centre employees, animal welfare co-ordinators, tax assessors, librarians, pages and professional services, and some workers within EPCOR and TELUS World of Science. (However, EPCOR staff are not employed by the city and have a separate collective agreement.)
“It is clear that city council and administration are out of touch with their employee base,” said Lanny Chudyk, CSU 52 president, in a news release.
“Our members have sent a very clear message: they will not settle for an unfair agreement and watch as dollars are continuously misspent without considering those who actually perform the front-line, core services on behalf of Edmontonians.
“While our members have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a strike mandate, we do not want to have to withdraw our services. Our goal is still to reach a fair and equitable settlement at the negotiation table that supports our members and taxpayers.
“We trust and believe that after seeing this mandate from members, that the city will return with a genuine commitment to bargaining,” Chudyk said.
The union has a media available scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Global News has reached out to the city and the union for additional comments.
“If the union chose to go on strike — CSU 52 touches just about every service that the city offers in one way or another, not always directly, but in some related way — so, I think we’d see the impact on almost every service the city provides,” Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell said on Jan. 22.
On Feb. 8, the city applied to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for approval of a lockout poll (vote) “in response to CSU 52 applying for and holding a strike vote.
“The city does not plan to lockout CSU 52 members unless it is required to minimize and manage the disruption a strike is causing to city services and the impact to Edmontonians,” a spokesperson for the city told Global News on Friday.
The union held the vote between Friday, Feb. 9 and Monday, Feb. 12.
The strike vote for Edmonton Public Library employees was done separately, earlier. On Feb. 9, the union released the results, saying with 93 per cent voter turnout, 94 per cent of union members voted in support of a strike.
“The overwhelming support for a strike mandate demonstrates our members’ unwavering desire to secure fair and equitable treatment in the workplace,” Chudyk said on Friday. “The offer from the Edmonton Public Library falls short of addressing our fundamental concerns, and it is imperative that we stand together to advocate for our rights as workers. This vote sends a clear message that we are prepared to take action to ensure our voices are heard and respected.”
“While city council has taken a 4.8 per cent raise over the last two years, they are leaving city employees with their fifth year without a raise,” Chudyk explained on Jan. 22. “Our membership cannot afford to strike, but they also cannot afford to bear the brunt of this injustice any longer.”
At the end of January, CSU 52 held several emergency meetings with members as contract negotiations with the city stalled. The union said it would apply to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for a strike vote after the 14-day cooling-off period, that ended Jan. 30.
In a Feb. 6 email to city employees that was shared with Global News, the city told employees that it was taking steps to allow workers to vote on the “best and final offer” provided to the union during mediation and that the decision was made because the union did not bring the offer to its members to decide on.
Therefore, the city asked the Alberta Labour Relations Board to hold a proposal vote with union members on the city’s offer. If most members voted yes, a strike or lockout would be avoided, the city explained.
In a news release Friday, the city said its best and final offer for CSU 52 members included a 7.25 per cent wage increase over a five-year period (2021-2025).
The city said its negotiations with the union included 30 bargaining sessions and multiple mediation dates.
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