CUPE has come out an early winner in the process of reorganizing unions to represent municipal workers in Qub0065c, in the aftermath of a province-wide wave of municipal mergers. But its clear that at the least the English-language media arent very happy with the outcome.
In a ruling last week, CUPE 301 was accredited to represent the 7,000 outside workers in the new City of Montreal. But The Gazette, in an editorial October 18, slammed the decision saying it would strengthen a union thats already too powerful for its taste. Citing the high wages of municipal workers and the sorry history of work disruptions and vandalism, the paper criticized the selection process and called on the government to rescind the accreditation.
CUPE responded quickly to the charge, setting the record straight on the process and rejecting the papers claim that CUPE had withdrawn from the representation vote in Qub0065c City.
Municipal workers in Montreal, Longueuil and Terrebonne, both inside and outside workers, have chosen CUPE to represent them by wide margins. The representation vote in Qub0065c City is slated for October 23.