Government’s offer of wage increases through 2025 not enough, says union
About 6,000 workers in Alberta’s capital city are planning to walk off the job on Thursday after negotiations between their union and their employers stalled.
Civic Service Union (CSU) 52 issued a strike notice on Monday after their members employed by the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Public Library rejected their employer’s latest offer in contract negotiations.
“After the City of Edmonton's strong no vote to their ‘best and final’ offer, we had hoped that the employers would reach out over the weekend and return to the bargaining tables to finally negotiate fair and reasonable settlements – but to no avail,” said the union in a statement posted on their website.
In announcing the strike, the union said it did not take these decisions lightly: “This is the only action we have remaining to try and effect fair and reasonable settlements.”
The city's latest proposal included a 7.25% wage increase from 2021 through 2025, as well as items such as a commitment to hybrid work, according to a CBC report.
However, Cyndil Taylor, acting chief people officer at the city government, said that the city intends to continue negotiating with the union.
“The City remains committed to reaching an agreement with CSU 52. The offer presented to members is fair and equitable for members, the City and taxpayers,” said Taylor. “We are hopeful we can come to a resolution with the fewest program and service disruptions.”
CBC noted that the collective agreement between the union and the city expired in December 2020 but remains in effect until the next agreement is negotiated and ratified. A separate collective agreement between the union and the library also expired in December 2020.
Earlier this month, the strike of more than 8,000 academic and support workers at the University of Toronto (U of T) who are represented by their union was averted following a last-minute agreement.
Impact of Edmonton workers’ strike
With the strike coming, the EPL announced that it will temporarily close at all locations starting 11 a.m. on Thursday.
The closure requires the cancellation of EPL’s programs, classes, events and services over the next week, with more cancellations possible as the situation evolves, according to the public library.
“EPL is a vital hub for learning, resources and social connection for our customers. The temporary closure of our branches will be a sad day for our employees and Edmontonians.” said Pilar Martinez, EPL CEO.
The impact of a strike would be widely felt by all Edmontonians, said Lanny Chudyk, president of CSU 52, in the CBC report.
"The libraries will fully be affected," he said. "For the City of Edmonton, CSU members touch every bit of the business, from police emergency communications to the ground level administrative support, for almost every piece of business that gets done.
"It's regrettable that it has come to this, but our members have been more than patient and fair, asking for what is reasonable after five years of stagnant wages."
In January, public service workers in Ontario just scored a major win in their Wage Reopener negotiations with the provincial government.
Edmonton put forward ‘compelling’ offer
Meanwhile, Andre Corbould, Edmonton city manager, expressed how the government is unhappy with the development.
“The City is disappointed that CSU 52 was unwilling to accept the offer that was put before them. We put forward an offer that is compelling even in light of our current financial realities.”
Despite this, he claimed that the city is prepared to respond to the labour disruption, saying “contingency plans are in place to minimize service disruptions”.
“The safety and security of Edmontonians must remain our top priority. Effective immediately, these plans and the Emergency Operations Centre are being activated to ensure a coordinated approach to maintaining core services,” he said.
The city government also noted that the following front-line services will continue:
- Edmonton Fire Rescue Services
- Edmonton Transit Service
- Dedicated Accessible Transit Service (DATS)
- Construction on capital projects
- Snow Clearing
- Waste Collection