WINDSOR, Ont. – The union representing municipal solid waste workers in the City of Windsor is warning residents that quality of service will deteriorate if Mayor Eddie Francis and Windsor councillors go ahead with contracting out and privatization plans for municipal garbage collection.
“We are shocked that council would risk the quality of service for residents and open the door to privatization, a move that will inevitably see good jobs and decent wages taken right out of the local economy without achieving cost savings,” said CUPE Local 82 president Jim Wood. “What’s really frustrating is their determination to contract out services regardless of the cost risks and loss of control, and despite all the work this local has put in with the administration, looking at ways to guarantee continuous service and our continued work on service efficiencies.”
CUPE Local 82 worked for weeks on a submission to council, pointing out the risks of contracting out, including cost over-runs, lower quality service, loss of control over vital public services, increased liability, disruption to other programs like summer student employment, and other problems.
“Last spring council rejected the idea of contracting out, in recognition of the quality of our public service, that has operated in the City with essentially the same budget for the last 20 years,” said Wood. “Through the decades we have worked with the administration to improve the service, and won accolades from residents – but immediately following last summer’s strike, council adopted a motion to tender our services to the private sector. No matter how much information we provided about the risks of such a venture, and despite warnings from management about some of those risks, council seems hell-bent on putting our work to tender.”
“Shutting daycares, privatizing services and eliminating good jobs seems to be the new mantra at Windsor city hall,” said Wood. “It’s very disappointing that council is tearing apart families and the community at a time when they should be rebuilding and revitalizing our city.”
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For further information, please contact:
Jim Wood, CUPE Local 82 president, 519-818-0341
Pierina DeBellis, CUPE National Representative, Windsor Area Office, 519-966-9595