VANCOUVER Talks at E-Comm, the emergency call centre for the Lower Mainland, broke down today and full-scale strike action could occur by Monday.
CUPEs emergency dispatchers are taking the drastic action after the employer engaged in strike-breaking activity designed to injure key union activists.
E-Comm has been pushing toward a major confrontation for months, said CUPE Local 873-02 spokesperson Meena Cheema. Now theyve pushed us over the edge by targeting our strike organizers.
The company has kept the 200 dispatchers and call takers in limbo for 585 days, refusing to resolve even the simplest items in the collective agreement.
They have tried to use the Labour Relations Board to break the essential services protocols around staffing levels for the emergency service.
As usual, they have put public safety at great risk by letting this labour dispute fester for so long, Cheema said.
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Contact:
Meena Cheema, CUPE Local 873.02, 722-4611;
Robin Jones, CUPE National Representative, 291-1940.