A city worker strike in Prince Albert, Sask., began on Monday, with more than 100 inside workers exercising their rights for a full withdrawal of services.
“This is the first CUPE job action in over 12 years in Saskatchewan, and the first strike in CUPE 882’s 70-year history,” said Cara Stelmaschuk, vice-president of CUPE 882. “It is unbelievable that the city has refused to meet with us to negotiate a fair deal.”
A release from CUPE Monday morning said they have rejected two offers from the city of an 11 per cent wage increase over four years.
The union’s latest offer reduced the costs associated with a collective agreement and included a four-year settlement with a 12 per cent wage increase, according to the release.
“Based on the city’s costing, an additional one per cent wage increase would cost the city an additional $48,000. We aren’t talking about massive increase – we are talking about a one per cent raise for the lowest-paid city workers,” Stelmaschuk said. “At the last City Council meeting, Council spent more money on legal fees for the Golf and Curling Club than it would take to reach an agreement with our local.”
The union is also fighting for optical benefits.
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Prince Albert residents might already see service effects at city hall, the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts, the Art Hauser Centre, the Frank J. Dunn Pool, the Alfred Jenkins Field House and the Art Centre.
Last week, the city began refusing to train management, other workers and contractors ahead of the strike.
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The union has said it wants to sit down at the bargaining table with the city, but the city has claimed that the offer on the table is the best possible one it can come up with.
On a CUPE livestream on Aug. 30, Stelmaschuk said that they have only had eight face-to-face bargaining days with the city.
“The employer walked away from the table after about two hours of monetary negatiation,” Mira Lewis, CUPE national representative, claimed. “They refused to come back.”
She said the last time the bargaining committees met was June 20, despite repeatedly asking the city to return to the table.
“We are not very far apart with what the union is asking for and what the employer is offering but we can’t settle a collective agreement unless we are at the bargaining table. There’s nothing we can do.”
After the union officially went on strike Monday, the city held a conference saying they are only prepared to have a discussion at the table within the parameters they have set out.
“Eleven per cent is a generous offer,” said Kiley Bear, director of corporate services for the city. “There’s lots of opportunity there to have and settle this within those parameters so if they can get there we can get there.”
The city said it has contingency plans in place if the strike were to continue as long as six months.
Last week, Bear said the city didn’t want to see a union strike, saying their deal is still ready to sign.
“We stand firmly behind this offer. Their counter-proposal would require an additional 2.4 per cent mill rate increase next year alone. We cannot ask taxpayers to pay that when this offer already makes Prince Albert municipal employees among the best paid in Saskatchewan.”
Bear claimed that messaging from the union was misleading, and they wouldn’t be asking taxpayers to pay more.
“Rather than relying on the merits of their position, they are aggressively engaging in tactics that are misleading and inflammatory,” Bear added. “I understand this is designed to put pressure on the city, but it does not change the fact that this is a good offer and we will not ask the taxpayers of Prince Albert to pay more.”
— with files from Global News’ Brody Langager
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