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CUPE Local 4705, a union that serves the the City of Greater Sudbury, has been in bargaining to improve work conditions, scheduling, and job security in order to ensure that residents of Sudbury can rely on our services. Unfortunately, the employer is still making unreasonable demands, and we are now possibly headed towards a strike as early as August 9.
One of the issues is unfair scheduling. Even after getting new full time positions approved by City Council, the employer has failed to fulfill its obligation to actually fill them. This has only worsened an existing staffing crunch in the Water and Wastewater department, which potentially puts Sudbury’s drinking water in jeopardy. Scheduling is also making it impossible for workers to enjoy their quality of life and to find vacation replacements.
The other issue is forced overtime. The employer wants to introduce forced overtime for winter sidewalk clearing, calling on workers to stay after their shifts. We don’t believe that anyone should be forced to do overtime work. Instead, the employer should ensure adequate staffing and equipment levels to ensure that sidewalks are safe for Sudbury residents.