Month: November 2014

CUPE 2262 ratifies Central Kootenay deal

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CUPE Local 2262 has ratified a new three-year agreement with the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK).  The no-concessions deal includes wage increases of 1.5%, 1.4% and 1.5% respectively. Included in the collective agreement are improvements to employee definition language and increases to clothing and optical allowances.

The new agreement expires on Feb. 28, 2015 and must still be ratified by the Regional District. The sub local of CUPE 2262 covers about 40 District employers at arenas, the aquatic centre and landfills. The union members include lifeguards, landfill attendants, maintenance, custodial and customer service representatives.

CUPE 2262 President Leford Lafayette said the bargaining was respectful and productive. The two sides met only three times to reach the agreement.  “This follows on the heels of the agreement we reached in the summer with the Castlegar Golf Course – a tough round of bargaining that still resulted in a negotiated, no-concessions collective agreement,” said Lafayette.

Union seeks new venue for Winterfest

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We all love Winterfest and your Castlegar city workers know that it’s an important annual community event.

Unfortunately, the unresolved labour dispute with the City of Castlegar would put the usual ceremony behind a legal picket line.  Given this, CUPE Local 2262 is looking at options to see if we can help to find a way for the event to go ahead.

“CUPE is hopeful that we can find something that works so that Castlegar families – including our own – can get together during this holiday season to celebrate and honour our commitment to community,” said Leford Lafayette, CUPE 2262 president.  “Our picket lines are up at public facilities because we want to be at the table talking – we want a fair and reasonable contract – but so far City has refused to re-engage with us,” he added.

Lafayette is encouraging all concerned citizens to let the Mayor and Council know that they support a return to fair bargaining and an end to this first-ever strike.  “We hope that the City will take this opportunity to respond in kind with an offer to talk, “he explained.

CUPE picket lines will stay up through Winterfest tree lighting

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With the ongoing labour dispute and the City’s refusal to bargain, CUPE city workers will be maintaining picket lines during Winterfest, including the planned tree lighting on December 5.

CUPE 2262 president Leford Lafayette said that members regret that they find themselves in a situation where they are unable to support an event that they and their families enjoy every year.

“We know that each year families gather at City Hall and downtown Castlegar with friends and neighbours, to enjoy an evening of holiday spirit and the tree lighting event. But our attempts to solve this labour dispute have been rebuffed. Given this, we feel we have no choice but to hold the lines,” said Lafayette.

Castlegar City workers are asking the public to respect legal picket lines and to let the new council know that residents support a return to the bargaining table and a fair end to the strike.

CUPE 2262 represents 34 members who work for the City of Castlegar. The current agreement expired in February 2013. The union began a full strike on November 8, 2014. Picket lines are in place at the following CUPE 2262 worksites: City Hall, the Public Works Yard on Minto Road, and the outdoor ice rinks at Kinnaird Park.

Solidarity and support on the Castlegar picket line

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CUPE 2262 members who work for the City of Castlegar were joined by friends and supporters as they began picketing on Saturday morning.

CUPE 2262 president Leford Lafayette said that solidarity on the line is strong and members are solidly behind the need to take full-scale strike action in order to pressure the City to get back to the bargaining table and find a fair deal.

“We have reached out to the City to get back to the bargaining table. We think that we can find a resolution to the outstanding issues if we get back to talking. Just in the short time we have been on the line, I am hearing a lot of support for the employer getting back to bargaining and for a fair deal for City workers,” said Lafayette.

Effective Saturday, November 8 picket lines went up and CUPE members are now off the job across all City of Castlegar work sites.

Lafayette said that the September mediator’s recommendations did not offer an acceptable solution to the employer’s concessionary proposal around the union’s ability to represent members.  “We had already agreed to employer proposals in terms of timelines for dealing with grievances, but the City still wants to severely limit the time available to union representatives to support members.”

He said that while the employer is downplaying the issue of job security, there is a lot of concern that as a way of managing growth the City is hiring more managers to cover work, as well as contracting out work that could be done by existing bargaining unit employees. “The union has tabled language to clarify how and when union work is done by managers. While of course, our members are concerned about jobs, we know that the City is growing and money is being spent contracting out work that could be spent on in-house services more efficiently. That is why we raised the issue of the outside contract for maintenance of the Millennium Park ponds.”

CUPE 2262 represents 34 members who work for the City of Castlegar. The current agreement expired in February 2013.  No bargaining has taken place since a second round of mediated talks failed to find a resolution September. The union has been engaged in limited job action in the form of a ban on overtime since August 19, 2014.

Castlegar city workers prepare to take full strike action

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CUPE 2262 members who work for the City of Castlegar have issued 72-hour strike notice of a full withdrawal of service.

CUPE 2262 president Leford Lafayette said that following Monday night’s presentation to city council, it is clear that elected officials are not focused on getting back to the bargaining table and reaching a fair deal with city workers.

“We do not want to be in a position to take full-scale strike action, with disruption for residents and local businesses. But given the lack of response by our current mayor and council, we don’t feel like we have other options,” said Lafayette.

Effective Saturday, November 8 picket lines will be up at city work sites and CUPE members will be off the job.

Key outstanding issues include job security and serious concessions that would undercut CUPE’s ability to properly represent members when disputes arise.  The union has also raised concerns about the City hiring more managers and contracting out services

CUPE 2262 represents 34 members who work for the City of Castlegar. The current agreement expired in February 2013.  No bargaining has taken place since a second round of mediated talks failed to find a resolution September. The union has been engaged in limited job action in the form of a ban on overtime since August 19, 2014.

Mayor & council questioned on accountability for CUPE bargaining dispute

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City council candidates heard loud and clear about the bargaining breakdown between the City of Castlegar and its CUPE workers at the Castlegar & District Chamber All-Candidates Forum.

With a number of questions coming to candidates, there was clear support for getting back to the bargaining table and having the mayor and council take some leadership in reaching a fair deal with city workers.

CUPE 2262 president Leford Lafayette said that the union and many of the audience at Thursday’s forum were very disappointed in Mayor Lawrence Chernoff’s apparent lack of commitment to finding a resolution.

“We have a serious and historic bargaining crisis in the city, but Mayor Chernoff doesn’t seem to think that he or council should get involved. Castlegar voters expect our mayor and council to roll up their sleeves and get things done. The buck stops with them and it’s not good enough for the mayor to suggest that someone else should deal with bargaining.”

Lafayette said that questions about the city hiring more managers and contracting out services were also raised at the Chamber Forum, and he noted that these are issues in bargaining.  “We certainly did not hear the mayor give any real explanation for why the city needs to add expensive new management positions and contract out work that could be done by in-house city staff.”

Lafayette said that the union thinks that the mayor and councillors need to sit at the table with City negotiators and the union to hear directly from one another, and that this should happen before the election.   “We won’t find a resolution if we are not talking to each other.  We were very disappointed when the last mediation failed, but CUPE members are ready, willing and able to get back to the bargaining table.”

Key outstanding issues include job security and serious concessions that would undercut CUPE’s ability to properly represent members when disputes arise. The current agreement expired in February 2013.  No bargaining has taken place since a second round of mediated talks failed to find a resolution September. The union has been engaged in limited job action in the form of a ban on overtime since August 19, 2014. CUPE 2262 represents 34 members working as inside and outside workers in Castlegar.