Castlegar city workers vote in favour of strike action, negotiations set to resume this week
City of Castlegar workers, represented by CUPE 2262, have voted 95% in favour of job action in a strike vote held October 18. Negotiations are set to resume this week between the union and the City of Castlegar in an effort to avoid any job action.
“Workers at the City of Castlegar, like many workers, are facing affordability challenges. We need the city to take these challenges seriously and work towards a solution that both supports workers and ensures high quality public services for our community,” said CUPE 2262 President Dustin LePage.
Negotiations started in June and the city’s bargaining team declared the parties were at an impasse, after just three days of negotiations. LePage says the union was disappointed that the city walked away from the bargaining table and cancelled their next scheduled bargaining date.
“While we appreciate that the city is willing to resume negotiations, we need them to prioritize bargaining a new contract with their workers and come prepared to our next bargaining session to engage in meaningful discussions about workplace issues,” adds LePage. “Strike action is always a last resort. We are committed to doing everything possible to reach a deal at the bargaining table to avoid any disruption in services for residents and businesses.”
Before taking any strike action essential service levels would need to be negotiated and the union would have to serve 72-hour strike notice.
CUPE 2262 represents approximately 45 workers who provide public community services for residents and businesses in the City of Castlegar.
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