EDMONTON – Three years of lobbying are starting to pay off.
City of Edmonton employees represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 30 praised a decision to cancel a turf contract with a private company and have the work done by city employees.
The cancellation of the contract means only 9% of turf mowing work will be contracted out, down from 33% in the mid 1990s.
“For three years, we’ve been making the case to City Council and senior staff that contracting out makes no sense,” said CUPE 30 President Alex Grimaldi. “It costs more, the labour supply is less stable, and the work is often sloppy and unprofessional.”
“City employees give far better service to Edmonton.”
Grimaldi encouraged the city to move forward in other areas where contractors do city work.
“A large amount of garbage pick up is done by contractors and the city has let outsiders run a number of pools,” said Grimaldi. “In both cases, the work could be done better, and likely at the same or lower costs, if it was done by City of Edmonton employees.”
-30-
For more information about CUPE Alberta, visit www.alberta.cupe.ca