In a general membership meeting on the evening of December 2, professionals at Ville de Lévis, members of CUPE 2927, voted overwhelmingly in favour (94%) of increasing pressure tactics. In so doing, the employees are hoping to force collective agreement bargaining to progress and to be shown respect by their employer. They stated that they wanted to quickly vote to strike if the pressure tactics were not sufficient to reach a negotiated agreement with no concessions.
The professionals reiterated that their demands are reasonable, realistic and essential to ensuring a healthy and fair work environment. Their key priorities include a work schedule that respects professional and human realities, a smaller wage gap between the professionals of Lévis and the rest of the market since it is starting to affect the ability to attract and retain personnel, and improved core working conditions so teams can conduct their work properly.
The bargaining committee also pointed out that the employer is still asking the professionals to make considerable and unacceptable concessions. They cannot reasonably agree to lose gains when their workload is increasing and the pressure on them is intensifying.
“Our union bargaining team remains open to dialogue and, now more than ever, wants to reach a negotiated agreement,” commented Mario Jean, CUPE 2927 representative. “But it has to respect the value of the work done by the professionals and recognize the vital role they play at the Ville de Lévis.”