“Why is the City picking on members of this local – on inside workers who are predominantly women when other City workers like fire, police and outside workers have kept their benefits and provisions intact?” asked Moist.
The 750 CUPE Local 101 members hit the picket lines on Monday, May 25 after their employer refused to remove concession demands from the bargaining table. It is the local’s first strike since 1979. The City’s host of concession demands include gutting the collective agreement’s language on hours of work, job evaluation, promotions, and cutting retiree benefits among others.
Joined by CUPE Local 101 President Shelley Navarroli, Moist applauded the local’s strong stand against concession bargaining by reminding the local of their historic achievement in 1967– as the first CUPE local to address gender equity pay by getting rid of the male/female wage grid.
Brother Moist also urged the City to return to the bargaining table by sending the right decision makers to the bargaining table. “Senior managers must be in the room to negotiate with our team in order to reach a fair collective agreement. Our members want to be back at work and the only way to do that is for both parties to be in a room and bargain to reach a deal,” concluded Moist.