WINNIPEG – Over 80 per cent of the respondents in a recent poll say they are very or somewhat satisfied with city garbage collection.
City residents who have city employees collect their garbage were polled between June 6-12 by Viewpoints Research of Winnipeg. The study of 400 residents was commissioned by CUPE 500 that represents almost 5,000 city workers.
Union members who collect solid waste are campaigning against recommendations by city managers and the Alternative Services Delivery Committee to contract out all collection in the city.
Other results of the survey:
- 68.5% are satisfied with city street cleaning and snow removal;
- 82.1% were satisfied with their city parks and recreational facilities;
- Only 43.2% of respondents said they favoured privatization or contacting out of city services to a private company;
- 67.9% said they would prefer to see city workers continue to provide services such as garbage collection because they would “not like to see long-time city workers lose their jobs”;
- 68.2% agreed with the statement, “I would prefer that the City of Winnipeg maintain responsibility and control over garbage collection rather than having it turned over to a large multinational company”;
- And 55.9% said they were willing to pay $10 a year more to maintain garbage collection by City of Winnipeg staff.
“The survey results tell us more clearly what we thought. The public doesn’t want to lose control of garbage collection,” says CUPE 500 president Mike Davidson. “We’re calling on the public to help us keep this service public, and we know people are generally supportive of what we do and what we stand for.”
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada’s largest union representing more than a half-million women and men. In Manitoba, CUPE represents 24,000 members working in health care facilities, school divisions, municipal services, social services, child care centres, public utilities, libraries and family emergency services. About 8,000 of these members work in municipalities across Manitoba.
For more information, contact:
Greg Mandzuk, CUPE National Representative - 942-0343, ext.297
Dennis Lewycky, CUPE Communications - 942-0343, ext. 207 or cell. 223-6805
More background material available at: www.cupe500.mb.ca