LINDSAY, ON – CUPE 855’s bargaining committee will not recommend management’s discriminatory and insulting offer to the 400 striking municipal workers at the City of Kawartha Lakes, on strike for over 26 days now. The workers will vote on management’s latest offer on Sunday, March 2.
“We will be asking our members to reject management’s offer and send a strong message to the City that our members and this community will not accept an offer that discriminates against workers over the age of 65,” said Lyn Edwards, CUPE 855 president. “After four weeks of strike, management failed to address the outstanding issues and gave us a proposal still filled with concessions.”
“Management seems determined to put a shelf life on workers over the age of 65 instead of respecting and recognizing their years of service to our community,” continued Edwards. Among the major concessions, management wants to deny workers over the age of 65 of their right to access long term disability, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, and extended health and drug benefits other workers are entitled to. The employer also plans to dramatically cut sick-leave provisions for workers once they pass the age of 65.
“Management’s offer sends the wrong message to our community – that this Council and our community approves open discrimination against workers over the age of 65. That’s wrong and we are asking our members to stand together and fight this injustice,” said Edwards.
“We are faced with a senior management team that is determined to break the union and will do whatever it takes to force their agenda on front-line workers and our community – and they don’t even live in the City of Kawartha Lakes,” stressed Edwards. “Management has turned down every possible solution that we proposed to reach a fair settlement. They spent more time trying to divide our membership and this community.”
“We will present management’s offer to members on Sunday, exposing all the details, and recommend that our members reject it,” said Edwards. “We will settle for nothing less than a fair collective agreement – so far, management hasn’t got the message.”
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For further information, please contact:
Lyn Edwards Alison Davidson James Chai
CUPE 855 President CUPE National Rep. CUPE Communications
705-878-2152 705-760-5113 416-292-3999
