Strike announced in Rivière-Rouge

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 2867), which represents around fifty inside and outside workers with the Town of Rivière-Rouge, has announced it is stepping up its pressure tactics due to an impasse in negotiations with the employer. Strike notices were sent this morning to the Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT) concerning a one-day general strike scheduled for December 4 and a work-to-rule and a refusal to work overtime starting on December 5 for an unlimited period. In addition, the workers will go to the town council next December 4 to make their views heard.

A bargaining meeting was held last November 15, but there is no getting around the fact that the gap concerning monetary issues is too large for an agreement to be reached.

The union is concerned that the employees will soon be unable to offer quality service to the public due to staff shortages.

"We are demanding wage increases to bring salaries into line with what other municipalities in the Laurentians have offered to their union members for the same types of jobs. Just a few weeks ago, a team leader with 20 years' experience resigned, saying that salaries are no longer competitive to those being paid in other sectors in the region," said CUPE union representative Stéphane Paré.

Working conditions have gotten so unsatisfactory that it is virtually impossible to hire staff, be they managers or union members. Some employees have only remained on the job for a few weeks. The turnover is even more worrisome for the remaining employees, particularly with respect to snow removal operations that are fast approaching.

Is town council going to restrict the number of snow removal operations like they did in 2022? Will they hire subcontractors? In past years, it has been noted that snow removal contracts cost taxpayers two to three times more than if the job had been done by unionized workers. Several municipalities in the region have gotten the message, as they have brought this work back in house and improved working conditions to attract workers," said Paré.

The collective agreement expired on January 1, 2024. Last October 2, members of CUPE 2867 gave the union a unanimous mandate to resort to pressure tactics up to and including strike action at a time deemed appropriate.