Urban trees and the people who take care of them in St. Catharines, Ontario are on a more solid footing after municipal workers organized and built community connections to protect the city’s public forestry services.
The city’s plan to eliminate the in-house forestry department was defeated in a unanimous council vote earlier this year after months of intensive and strategic organizing.
The forestry workers, members of CUPE 150, first learned of the city’s contracting out plans in early 2023, although the department had been under pressure for years to compete with contractors that underbid and rely on underpaid labour with a high turnover rate. The city had let four forestry positions go unfilled and was making vague and unfounded claims that in-house forestry services cost more than contractors.
Local solidarity, member mobilization key to stopping privatization
The push to privatize ramped up in the fall of the same year. The local had just finished a tough round of bargaining and had an up-to-date email list, making it easy to alert members about the threat to eliminate nine jobs.
“Everyone was aware of the issue and supporting us,’” says Rory Bourgeois, a municipal operator and former local recording secretary who is now the local president. The local represents about 180 full time and 50 seasonal outside workers.
Bourgeois coordinated a campaign that mobilized the members, engaged local elected officials and built a solid community network. Having a single point person who could focus on the campaign was key to the winning campaign.
The local ramped up the pressure on the mayor and councillors by sharing research on negative outcomes from privatization and flooding their email inboxes with a highly successful online action. CUPE 150 leaders built political connections and strengthened existing links with progressive councillors. They focused on delivering a clear and consistent message about the value of in-house workers caring for trees in a place known as the “Garden City.”
Contracting out comes with big costs and high risks
The reasons to keep forestry services public were clear from the start.
“The cost of contracting out is grossly underestimated,” Bourgeois told city councillors at a crucial council meeting packed to overflowing with CUPE 150 members and community allies. He warned council that contractors will underbid initially, then jack up their rates when there is no in-house department to compete with.
At council and in the community, Bourgeois and the local highlighted the importance of protecting the city’s trees as precious natural assets. They also pointed to the many hidden costs of privatization including monitoring and cleaning up after forestry contractors, and the staff time needed to oversee and administer contracts.
Lower quality work because of high contractor turnover and pressure to cut corners, a lack of internal oversight, and poor integration with other city services were other major concerns.
“City workers have a thorough knowledge of all city operations, and are able to direct complaints internally. Residents know any city-related issue can be brought to any truck with a city logo on it,” said Bourgeois. He also reminded council members that in-house workers are accountable to the public – not a profit-driven company – and are flexible. Forestry workers often work as snowplow operators in the winter.
“Our city is only as strong as its frontline workers,” said Bourgeois.
Local teams up with community allies to build support
The local wasn’t alone in their anti-privatization fight. They mapped out their allies and opponents on council and in the community, and worked to win the support of the local business community, environmentalists, scientists and other local residents.
Bourgeois credits the local’s downtown crew with winning the support of the city’s downtown business association. He shared the example of a crew member who has “Downtown Ron” on his jacket.
“He meets every business owner, He picks up the litter and talks to them, and they can see that he’s passionate about cleaning up the streets, which they all care about,” said Bourgeois, adding that by being transparent and trustworthy, the downtown crew built a connection that management could not.
“Typically workers are in the city for a lifetime, which is not often the case for managers,” said Bourgeois.
Bourgeois and other CUPE 150 members got involved in neighbourhood groups including Arbor STC, a local environmental group trying to get more trees planted in the city. The group had access to free trees, and the local helped knock on doors, and mobilized members who work as labourers. They also had access to trucks to deliver dirt. It was one way the local showed how much they cared about the trees and the community.
The local also mapped its roots in groups like local sports associations and social clubs, tapping into existing connections throughout the entire membership to spread the word about the forestry fight.
“Everyone has a life outside work. And you don’t always know what it is, but there are a lot of members involved in the community in different ways,” said Bourgeois.
Win highlights need to continue building community support for public services
Since the city’s privatization plan was defeated, city council has requested a report on increasing the number of staff in the forestry department.
Now that he’s the local president, Bourgeois has plans to expand the conversation about in-house services to other city departments, and keep building connections with local residents and leaders.
“Politics has a direct influence on our jobs,” says Bourgeois. “Working in the community and having the support of the community is everything. Figure out how your work affects the community, and get the support of those people.”