CANADIAN LABOUR-WINDSOR:

WINDSOR CIVIC WORKERS STRIKE ENDS:

Workers employed by the city of Windsor Ontario have voted to accept an agreement, ending a 101 day long strike. While much was gained, especially as compared to the City's initial offer the union conceded on their demand that new workers hired be covered by a defined benefits retirement plan. The plan that will be accepted is "self-financed". While this provision obviously doesn't apply to the present city workers it is, unfortunately, a serious concession on a matter of principle. Here's what the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has to say about the settlement.

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CUPE ratifies Windsor agreement:
Members of CUPE 82 and 543 voted Jul. 24 to ratify an agreement with the City of Windsor and end the 2nd longest strike in the city's history.

Jim Wood, President of CUPE 82, said: "Wrongly blaming workers for the recession, Mayor Francis and Council tried to cut real wages and benefits and impose a double standard with retirement benefits for themselves but not workers. That's what forced this strike."

Wood and CUPE 543 President Jean Fox both said: "We're proud of our CUPE members who stood up for fairness and equality and resisted unjustified concessions."

The new contract includes a $2,000 lump sum payment up front, wage adjustments of 1%, 1.5%, 1.8% and 2% over four years and improvements in job security.

If CUPE had given in to the Mayor last April, there would now be reduced real incomes, reduced benefits, worse job security, and the complete elimination of any program of Post Retirement Benefits for all future new hires at the city. Instead current city workers and their families are permanently protected with retiree benefits and at the same time, new hires will enjoy employer paid benefits to age 65 and then, after 65, a new Post Retirement Benefit program will be in place and administered by the city.

Jean Fox, president of CUPE local 543, was looking forward: "The strike is over and we need to rebuild the spirit of this community that was hurt by the Mayor and Council's attack on workers. We hope the return to work will be smooth but some wounds take time to heal."

CUPE local 82, representing outside workers, were on strike for 101 days, starting April 15th. Local 543, the inside workers, joined the picket line on April 18th.

CANADIAN LABOUR-WINDSOR/TORONTO:

ONTARIO CIVIC WORKERS STRIKES CONTINUE:

Here, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is the latest news about the civic workers strikes in Windsor and Toronto.

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Windsor workers reject city offer:
CUPE 82 and 543 members voted Jul 17 to reject the City of Windsor's latest offer.

Members of CUPE 82 voted 77 per cent against the offer while CUPE 543 members were 85 per cent against.

CUPE 82 president Jim Wood hopes this will convince the City to bargain seriously.

“Our membership just sent a clear message to Mayor Eddie Francis,” he said. “Our workers are ready to return to work but not at any cost. The City is asking for major concessions and offering nothing in return. We have been fighting for fourteen weeks and this should finally make the City understand we are not giving up.”

Wood said after Wednesday's events, where city managers were leafleting CUPE members out front of their union meeting, the locals are considering another unfair labour practice complaint.

"These tactics from the Mayor have to end," Wood said. "He’s the one who provoked the continuation of this strike.”

CUPE 543 president Jean Fox said “We need to resolve the strike as quickly as possible and resume services for the citizens of Windsor. Our members showed today how serious they are about fairness and respect. It’s now time for Mayor Eddie Francis and Council members to step up to the plate.

The locals which together represent about 1800 inside and outside workers at the City of Windsor, have been on strike since mid-April.

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Here, once more from CUPE, is another story on the rejection of the city of Windsor's offer.

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CUPE members reject the offer presented by the City of Windsor:
WINDSOR, Ont. – Yesterday, members of locals 82 and 543 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) were voting on an offer presented by the City of Windsor. After the final count, 77 % of local 82 members rejected the offer and 85 % from local 543 also voted against the City’s proposal.

Jim Wood, president of local 82, hopes this outcome will convince the City to bargain seriously: “Our membership just sent a clear message to Mayor Eddie Francis”, stated Wood. “Our workers are ready to return to work but not under any condition. The City is asking for major concessions and offering nothing in return. We have been fighting for fourteen weeks and this should finally make the City understand we are not giving up.”

After some of the events that took place on Wednesday, where management members were handing out flyers to members waiting to vote, Wood was upset at the City’s attitude: “At the moment, we are discussing with our legal counsel the possibility of filing an unfair labor practice. These tactics from the Mayor have to end. He’s the one who provoked the continuation of this strike.”

After the vote, Jean Fox, president of CUPE local 543, was pleased by the support of her membership: “Today we sent a clear message to council members: Start bargaining seriously”, said Fox. “We need to resolve the strike as quickly as possible and resume services for the citizens of Windsor. Our members showed today how serious they are about fairness and respect. It’s now time for Mayor Eddie Francis and Council members to step up to the plate. The two locals are committed to returning to the table but the City will have to be serious in getting an agreement and offer a fair package that addresses our members concerns. ”

CUPE local 82, representing outside workers, have been on strike since Wednesday, April 15th. Their colleagues of local 543, the inside workers, joined the picket line on Saturday, April 18th.
For information:
Luc Tittley

CUPE Communications

519-564-7468

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And finally, from CUPE in the city of Toronto where another and more mediagenic civic workers strike is also ongoing, comes the union's side of what the city is demanding. Molly is most impressed by the "118 pages of concessionary demands" part. There is the old "pound of flesh nearest the heart", but this has to be at least three pounds.

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City of Toronto’s concession demands made strike necessary, says Local 416:
Mayor David Miller got one thing right in his remarks to media this afternoon.

“We have said from day one that this strike should not have happened,” said Mark Ferguson, president of Toronto Civic Employees Union Local 416 CUPE.

“But it did happen because the city waited until we were three weeks into the strike to table an offer that gave us something to work with. And that is what we have been trying to do since last Friday. If that offer had been tabled before the strike deadline, we may not have had to strike.”

Mayor Miller is deliberately misleading Torontonians when he suggests that the city is no longer demanding concessions from the members of Local 416, Ferguson said.

“There has been nothing fair about the city’s proposals. Taking away our members’ accumulative sick plan is a huge concession,” he said. “And the city is still trying to force senior employees out the door on layoff while junior employees remain on the job. Let’s not forget, well into the strike we were still trying to fight off a total of 118 pages of concessionary demands – and the mayor wonders why we continued to bargain even after going on strike.”

The longer the strike continues, the more resistant members are to giving up hard-won benefits and working conditions, Ferguson said.

“We all want a resolution to this strike. The best way to achieve it is for the city to stop its rhetoric and put in some real work at the bargaining table.”
For more information, contact:
Pat Daley,

CUPE Communications,

416-616-6142