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Mount Pearl, NL – Municipal workers with the City of Mount Pearl will be holding a strike vote later this month, after failing to reach a new contract in conciliation talks.

CUPE National Representative Dawn Learning said, “Our attempts to reach a negotiated settlement on behalf the 120 members of Local 2099 have been unsuccessful thus far.”

The only outstanding issue is wages but the latest offer from the employer is not an acceptable one. While we are close on the wage issue, we are still not there yet.”

Local 2099 president Bob Martin said, “Historically the outside workers in Mount Pearl have always made more than our counterparts in St. John’s.  Since 2006, however, we have been making less than them. In many job classifications, the wage gap is significant. Our goal in this round of bargaining is to narrow that gap.”

Meanwhile, the inside workers in Mount Pearl,” explains Martin, “also make less than those in St. John’s. This wage disparity also needs to be addressed.”

The conciliation officer assigned to the contract talks has now informed the Minister of Labour that no settlement has been reached. That means the union could be in a legal strike position within 15 days.

Learning also said, “CUPE is more than willing to get back to the bargaining table so we can avoid a disruption in virtually all municipal services in Mount Pearl, but there has to be some movement on the wage issue.” 

We don’t think it’s unreasonable that these employees have a chance to catch up to their counterparts in a municipality that’s right next door.”
  

For more information:

Dawn Learning        
CUPE National Representative   
Tel: (709) 753-0732

Bob Martin
President, Local 2099
Cell: (709) 746-2177

John McCracken
CUPE Communications Representative
Tel: (902) 455-4180