Bargaining efforts remain ongoing between the region and some of its unionized office workers, as the two sides continue inching closer to a potential strike action.
Updates have been provided by the two sides, including the Region of Waterloo and CUPE Local 1883, which represents the region’s office, clerical, and technical employees.
“We continue to work closely with CUPE and both parties are committed to reaching an agreement that is both competitive for members and affordable for residents,” said the Region of Waterloo in a statement.
“Currently, CUPE 1883 will be in a legal strike position as of Saturday, September 26. In the event of a strike, services will continue with reduced capacity.”
It has said, though, that if a possible strike were to occur, there would be a list of impacts, including:
- Non-urgent dental appointments will be rescheduled
- School and community dental screenings will be rescheduled
- Routine health inspections will pause
- Reduced hours for customer service locations at Ainslie, Benton and Strasburg
- Some museum programming may be cancelled due to capacity
- Residents may experience slightly longer wait times when calling the Service First Contact Centre (SFCC)
- Phone payments for Provincial Offences Court will pause
- And more…
“Our members are ready to bargain and want to reach a fair deal that protects our work, our jobs and the public services our communities rely on,” said CUPE Local 1883.
“There are just three days left to get a deal done. It’s time to bargain seriously and get a fair agreement.”
The local union stated that bargaining efforts came to a standstill and were paused for over a month, which has left “limited time to resolve outstanding issues, including job security and protecting the public services our communities rely on.”
Those unionized office, clerical, and technical workers are set to be in a strike position as of Saturday, Sept. 26.
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