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Montreal, Tuesday, August 7, 2001 - Claude Ht0075, Assistant Director of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in Quebec, is not surprised by the data compiled by city councillor Richard Tho0072t0020showing that, over the past two years, contracting-out costs for the City of Montreal have increased by 30% to 100%.

We said it before, municipalities are usually kidding themselves when they contract out work that could be done by their own employees, he added. This is even more so since the recent Supreme Court decision cleared things up, added Claude Ht0075, who is of the opinion that municipalities will have to re-evaluate the whole question, in light of recent legal and economic developments.

For several years now, the question of contracting-out has been a major concern for municipal employees. It has often been the focus of legal debates between municipalities and unions. On July 13, 2001, in a litigation between the City of Sept-les and CUPE Local 2589 (QFL), the Supreme Court confirmed, by a vote of six to one, that all workers of a company contracted out by a municipality must benefit from the same working conditions as the municipal employees. Our highest tribunal confirmed that accreditation and the collective agreement in force with the main employer are transferred to the contracting-out company, which must comply with them.

CUPE represents inside and outside workers of the City of Montreal and about 70% of all municipal employees in Quebec. With almost 100,000 members in 11 sectors of activity, CUPE is also the largest affiliate of the QFL.

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SOURCE: CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES (QFL)

Information:
Claude Ht0075, 514-384-9681 (pager: 514-221-8780)
Robert Bellerose, 514-384-9681, ext. 239 (cell: 514-247-9266)