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HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY – The president of CUPE Local 2019 says he’s starting to wonder if the mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay actually knew what the consequences of locking out his employees would be.

Glenn Pittman says, “Did Mayor Snook think it was going to be ‘business as usual’ when he chose to lock out his entire municipal workforce in the middle of winter in Labrador,” he asks.

Says Pittman, “We are honouring our letter of intent, which is what we said we would do and, frankly, more than what happens in many other labour disputes.”

CUPE NL President Wayne Lucas, meanwhile, says, “This mayor needs to stop berating the employees that he locked out and start taking responsibility for his actions. I would suggest it’s the mayor that has reneged on his duties to residents when he locked these workers out.

“The only one compromising public safety in this community is Mayor Snook. He needs to put his ego aside, get the pension concession off the table, get back to the bargaining table and fulfill his commitment to residents.

“This lockout could be over and our full workforce out there plowing the roads that quickly,” says Lucas.

The 43 members of Local 2019 were locked out on January 13.