Halifax – The union representing some 450 ‘outside workers’ with HRM is wading into this year’s budget debate.
CUPE Local 108-Unit One will present a brief to council tomorrow during their day-long budget deliberations.
CUPE National Representative Michelle Cohen says, “The brief identifies several areas where contracting out of municipal services is actually costing taxpayers more money.”
“It will be presented by two of our members, frontline workers who are involved in the day to day delivery of public services in HRM. They have watched our workforce shrink from a high of almost 600 in 1999, while a variety of services – from grass cutting to snow plowing – have been handed over to private companies.
“We think residents will agree with us that this reliance on contractors has resulted in services that aren’t as good and a municipality that simply does not look as neat and clean as it could,” says Cohen.
(ASSIGNMENT/CITY EDITORS: The CUPE Local 108 presentation takes place at 11:00 am at HRM City Hall, in camera. Copies of the brief can be obtained by contacting Lorraine Standing at 455-4180 after 12:00 pm, June 13.)
For information:
Michelle Cohen
CUPE National Rep.
(902) 454-6369
John McCracken
CUPE National Rep.
CUPE Communications Rep. (o)
(902) 455-4180 (o)