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WINNIPEGThe Union representing City workers, who will be affected by the contracting-out of all city solid waste collection, are going to City Hall on Wednesday, to draw attention to their position.

Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are campaigning to defend their work in light of recommendations by managers in the Water and Waste Departments and Councillors on the Alternative Services Delivery Committee to contract-out solid waste collection.

Rally
City Hall Courtyard
Wednesday, July 20, 2005 (noon to 12:30 pm)

In the last two months, the Union has been:

  • Meeting with some of the Councillors to explain the advantages of keeping the service in public hands;
  • Meeting with officials in Water and Waste to work on ways to reduce costs of collection;
  • Placing advertisements in local newspapers to inform the public about the issue;
  • Distributing leaflets to city residents to call on their support;
  • Getting letters of support from residents and other unions (some printed in the local papers); and
  • Gathering information on the experience with public and private collection experiences in other Canadian and American cities.

We’ve been talking with the public and getting great support, but we get the impression that some Councillors are not listening to anyone,” says CUPE 500 President Mike Davidson. “It seems that some Councillors don’t want to hear what we are saying – privatizing garbage collection will cost city residents more and they’ll get less.”

Research done by the Union contradicts the Business Plan recommendations of the Water and Waste Department. The Union argues that the city will not save money by contracting-out all collection services, as some officials and politicians have claimed. Based on the experience of other cities, the Union also says that contracting-out could reduce the City’s ability to control service costs and customer satisfaction.

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 information available at:

www.cupe500.mb.ca