By an overwhelming majority, members of the union representing Squamish municipal workers have voted in favour of going on strike.
CUPE 2269 members voted 99% in favour of a strike in a vote held on Dec. 12, according to a CUPE news release.
“This vote demonstrates that our members are deeply concerned about the lack of progress at the bargaining table and the unwillingness of the District of Squamish to address real workplace concerns,” said CUPE 2269 president Celeste Bickford, in the release.
The local union represents about 250 service workers who are employed with the municipality to supply water and wastewater services, recreation services, animal and bylaw control, landscaping and maintenance in parks, administrative support for the District and RCMP, and snow removal.
The union says that key sticking points preventing a deal from being reached include compensation and scheduling "that allows work-life balance for workers and their families."
According to CUPE, the union and the District have met eight times since negotiations began in June.
In October, the union filed for mediation.
The two parties met with a mediator in November, but even after four sessions, no significant progress was made, according to CUPE.
“Since the pandemic we’ve seen significant increases to the cost of living in our community, and significant changes to the way work is done. These issues affect workers every day, and both parties need to work collaboratively on solutions,” added Bickford.
Before pickets would go up in town, essential service levels would need to be negotiated and CUPE would have to serve a 72-hour strike notice.
“We hope the District is willing to come back to the bargaining table and work towards a fair and reasonable contract that is in line with other regional agreements and that protects public services and supports the workers who provide them,” said Bickford.
For its part, the District says that during the last day set for mediation, the mediator advised that the Union was walking away from the table.
The District has not walked away from the bargaining table and continues to be willing to go back to bargaining, according to a news release.
"The District is responsible to taxpayers in the amounts it offers at the bargaining table," the release states.
"The District also understands that it is a service organization, and that its strength is its hard-working employees. The most recent offer included general wage increases equal to those in much larger metro municipalities to ensure it remains competitive and fair as an employer. On other outstanding issues around scheduling, the District believes it upholds an organizational culture that both prioritizes delivery of services to the public, and offers work-life balance to employees, and this has been a key principle through bargaining."
The District will continue to update residents as the situation evolves, it said.
**Please note that this story was updated when The Squamish Chief heard back from the District of Squamish.
