First it was the outside workers, but now the inside workers with the City of Westmount are expressing their impatience with negotiations to renew their collective agreement.
Last night, the members voted 88% in favour of giving their local union, SFMM 429, a mandate to proceed with pressure tactics up to and including an unlimited general strike.
The inside workers’ contract expired on December 31, 2022.
“We’ve been negotiating relentlessly since February 20, but unfortunately, we’ve noted that Westmount’s favourable financial situation has not translated into offers that its employees find acceptable. The status quo isn’t an option for the inside workers. We’re not going to go ahead and sign a discounted collective agreement,” declared Éliane Scofield-Lamarche, vice-president of the union representing Montreal’s municipal public servants, SFMM – CUPE 429.
Sticking points include, in particular, the oversight of working remotey, wage increases during difficult economic times and the establishment of various premiums. The City of Westmount is one of the few cities that has not offered any premiums to some of its employees working atypical schedules.