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Vancouver district employer drops demand on contract length

The joint council representing Vancouver-area municipal employers has announced that it’s willing to look at longer-term agreements. The move may pave the way for more settlements in the week-old lower mainland civic workers strike. The length of the contract has been the main issue to date, with Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan insisting on a contract expiring just as the bills for the 2010 Olympics come due.

This week, CUPE 394 reached an agreement with the City of Richmond while CUPE 391, which represents workers at the Vancouver Public Library, joined the strike. That settlement was for a five year agreement which would expire after both the Olympics and the next municipal elections. CUPE National President Paul Moist, in Vancouver to support the strikers, pointed out that Vancouver is the only municipal employer to have three strikes in the last decade.

Strike at Jean-Drapeau park

Blue collar workers at Montréal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau went on strike this week. The 220 members of the city of Montréal’s outside workers union - CUPE 301 - have been in bargaining for about a year. After 20 meetings, the two sides are still in conciliation. Work rules and monetary issues are the main issues in the dispute. The theme park, built on the site of Expo 67, covers more than 200 hectares on two islands in the St. Lawrence River.

CUPE union of choice at Champlain CCAC

Champlain CCAC workers voted to make CUPE their union following a merger of Eastern Ontario CCACs.

We are pleased that CUPE was the union of choice, and we welcome 31 former OPSEU members who will now become new CUPE members,” said Jim Robillard, president of CUPE 503. “We would also like to take this opportunity to thank existing CUPE members and staff who helped make this campaign a success.”

The representation vote was a result of health care restructuring ordered by the Ontario government, under the CCAC and LHINs realignment project. The new CUPE 503 bargaining unit at the Champlain CCAC will have over 200 members.

Strike countdown at Eastern Ontario Catholic School Board

CUPE 4155’s 350 members are facing an August 20 strike deadline after their employer scuttled conciliation talks this week. The employer refuses to budge on a range of issues and tabled a new offer this week which revisited articles already settled. With no new dates for negotiations, CUPE 4155 president Lise Lafleur says a strike is a possibility.

Our members want to be there to prepare for the school year,” she said. “We are asking parents to contact school board trustees to demand they return to the bargaining table.”

FastFacts in your inbox!

Did you know you can get FastFacts by e-mail? To sign up for this service, please send an e-mail to clandry@cupe.ca. Make sure to include your name, Local number, e-mail address and province.