No movement in impasse between city and union workers
The impasse between the City of Castlegar and its union workers seems as relentless as ever today, after the second day of labour action. While not fully on strike per se, CUPE 2262 has issued a ban on overtime work as a first step after issuing 72-hour strike action notice on Friday, Aug. 15. Chris Barlow, city director of...
City responds to CUPE's 72-hours strike notice
In the same week that Local 2262 requested the City to return to the bargaining table, Union Employees have issued 72 hour strike notice. “The city is concerned that the Union continues to represent that it is the city that needs to come back the bargaining table when it was the union that booked out the mediator, will not ...
City CUPE workers serve 72-hour strike notice
The following is a press release issued by CUPE Local 2262: CUPE Local 2262 city workers have filed 72-hour strike notice with the BC Labour Board. The 34 workers have been without a contract since February 2013. This marks the first time in 60 years that the union has been forced to a strike in its contract negotiations with...
Wearing my historian’s hat
“I am under no obligation to be the person I was five minutes ago.”--- Facebook poster ( no author ) Pessimism, the incidence of violence, and progress Is there evidence that humanity is on a historical course toward a progressive, better future? Every reader of this column by now understands I am a pessimist, I do not perceive...
COMMENT: Crony capitalism alive and well at Mount Polley
This weekend, the Vancouver Sun reported that Alberta billionaire Murray Edwards helped organize a $1 million fundraiser for the B.C. Liberal party at the Calgary Petroleum Club last year. Rapidly becoming a household name in B.C., Edwards of course is the controlling shareholder of Imperial Metals, which operates the Mount...
LETTER: Gov't to blame for Mount Polley disaster
Dear Editor,I read with horror the article Mount Polley Disaster published in the The Boundary Sentinel on August 6, 2014.I have been following the news on the Fraser River Imperial Mines tailing pond contamination. I see that the government treated this toxic tailings pond with the same the extreme carelessness I have observed...
Staff shortage means truncated hours for Castlegar health centre lab
The following is a press release issued by Interior Health: Due to temporary limited staffing availability, the Castlegar and District Health Centre lab will close an hour early next week. Out-patient (drop-in) lab services will be available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Aug. 11 to 14. Alternate out-patient laboratory services...
City and union no closer to contract today
Despite both parties’ expressed desire to reach an agreement and contract, CUPE Local 2622 and the City of Castlegar’s dueling press releases yesterday seem to indicate an ongoing lack of consensus. (To read the City’s press release, click here, and to read the union’s, scroll to the bottom of this page). Castlegar Mayor...
City issues release re: possible pending strike
Ed Note: The following is a press release issued by the City of Castlegar: After over a year of contract negotiations with its unionized CUPE 2262 employees, including two days of Labour Relations Board mediated talks, CUPE booked out the mediator and refused to take the City of Castlegar’s final offer to a vote of the...
A Brief History of Everything
Humans’ natural being, humans being natural My column title is a steal from the book title by Ken Wilber. Wilber is one of those writers I so much admire for their attempt to synthesize vast quantities of history and other data about the human condition, alongside Charles Eisenstein and William Irwin Thompson. This a very...
