NORTH BAY, Ont. – Negotiators for Local 72 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing 32 North Bay Hydro workers, are warning the public of another possible strike or lockout after management applied for a “no-board” report from the Ministry of Labour, starting the countdown to a legal strike or lockout deadline of 12:01 am, June 15th.
“Hydro management is once again attacking our benefits,” said CUPE Local 72 president Mark Storie. “We urge our employer to come back to us with a fair offer that will avoid a work stoppage.”
CUPE members previously voted 98% in favour of strike action, if a settlement cannot be reached. Union negotiators will meet with the employer again on June 13th, to review a final offer before presenting it to CUPE 72 members that evening. The workers were on strike for three and a half months in the summer and fall of 2002, to defend health benefits for retired workers.
“We hope Hydro management will not force us into a crisis like we had in the last round of bargaining,” said Storie. “North Bay cannot afford another summer of uncertainty over our power supply.”
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For further information, please contact:
Mark Storie
President
CUPE Local 72
705-840-8574 (cell)
Jo-Ann Breton
CUPE National Representative
705-474-9765
Robert Lamoureux
CUPE Communications
416-292-3999
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