City of Kawartha Lakes, ON – The union representing City of Kawartha Lakes municipal employees, members of CUPE 855, has filed for conciliation after a disappointing round of negotiations.
“After being told that the employer wanted a deal prior to the expiry of the collective agreement – December 31, 2011 – they have come to the bargaining table with an unreasonable offer to get that deal,” says Shelley Ferguson, president of CUPE 855.
The union was optimistic that this round of negotiations would be different. The union and the employer agreed early in 2011 that this round of negotiations would be more positive than the last, which resulted in a seven-week strike. However, the last seven days of negotiations have been disappointing and the Union has had no option but to file for conciliation.
“The County of Peterborough, a comparable municipality in the area, recently bargained improvements to wages, benefits and other working conditions for its CUPE employees. We want to send a strong message to the municipality that we deserve to have a decent settlement for the hard-working CUPE members in this municipality,” says Alison Davidson, CUPE National representative.
“It’s time the City of Kawartha Lakes treat its workers with respect and fairness and give them the settlement they deserve,” Davidson concluded.
CUPE 855 represents over 430 employees providing public services to the municipality in arena maintenance, administrative services, libraries, social services, building and planning, fleet maintenance, road and transit, and water treatment, to name a few.
For more information, please contact:
Shelley Ferguson, CUPE 855 President: 705-344-5138
Alison Davidson, CUPE National Representative: 705-760-5113
Marjorie Savoie, CUPE Communications: 613-864-9924