Last night, about twenty firefighters who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) voiced their discontent with their employer while a Régie incendie de l’Alliance des Grandes-Seigneuries board meeting was going on.
The unjustified and heavy-handed dismissal of a lieutenant and three firefighters touched off a firestorm this week. These terminations were approved at the board meeting.
“We’re simply furious to see that managers with the Régie have lowered the boom on our members in this way simply to save face in the eyes of their representatives who have been elected to the board. We’re also flabbergasted at the amount of time and taxpayer money have gone toward undermining labour relations since we joined the Régie instead of being used to improve service to the public. We have asked board members to govern themselves accordingly, as they have the authority to do so,” declared Yannick Bourgault, President of CUPE 7115.
The Régie was recently found guilty of bad faith bargaining by the Tribunal administratif du travail, and its application to gain recognition for just one union failed.
The Régie incendie de l’Alliance des Grandes-Seigneuries serves more than 80,000 citizens in the du Roussillon RCM, i.e., Saint-Constant, Sainte-Catherine, Candiac and Delson. Their establishment includes 75 firefighters, half of whom are members of CUPE.