Garbage pickup, rec programs, child care to pause if Hamilton city workers strike Monday

Hamilton city workers who pick up garbage, provide childcare and teach swimming lessons will be among those on strike Monday if their union and the city can't come to an agreement on their contract in the meantime.

The more than 3,200 workers in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 5167 will be in a legal strike position Monday at 12:01 a.m. after a "no board" report was filed with the province on Aug. 4, meaning a deal couldn't be reached after months of negotiation.

Those workers includes garbage collectors for the lower city, Dundas, Flamborough and the part of Ancaster north of Highway 403; pool and parks program staff; bylaw enforcement; municipal child care workers; film permits and development applications.

That means a list of city services would be disrupted, for example:

• Curbside collection of garbage would not take place in several city wards, though the city says "temporary garbage depots" would be established, with sites to be made public.
• EarlyON Child and Family Centres located in city facilities would close.
• The "implementation of strategic housing plans" and access to housing supports would be delayed.
• Parks and trails would not be maintained. 
• Ontario Works offices would be closed (though monthly assistance cheques would still be issued).
• All recreation facilities, including pools, would be closed.
• The two city golf courses would be closed.
• Beach water sampling would pause.
• New building permits could be submitted but would not be processed.

The city said it has "made comprehensive contingency plans to ensure as many city services remain active as possible." 

The full list of affected services is available on a special page on the city website. They include:

• Animal Services
• Building Permits
• Business Licensing
• By-Law Enforcement
• Child Care and EarlyON Child and Family Centres
• City Hall and Municipal Centres
• Council and Committee Meetings
• Development Applications
• Film Permits
• Garbage and Green Bin collection for some residents
• Hamilton Civic Museums
• Housing Services
• Horticulture
• Marriage License & Civil Marriage Ceremonies
• Ontario Works
• Parks & Recreation programming
• Property Tax
• Provincial Offences Administration Offices
• Public Health Services
• Road, Sidewalk & Traffic Operations
• Water, Wastewater & Stormwater

"We're coming together to send Hamilton city council a message," said local president Jay Hunter in a CUPE release issued Tuesday.

"We care about the services we deliver for the residents of Hamilton and we'd really rather continue working, but what the City of Hamilton is offering just isn't good enough.

"Now we have a deadline for the city to come back with a real offer, otherwise the city leaves us no choice but to take strike action."

Mediation resumes Friday

A provincial conciliator is helping mediate the discussions between the two sides, which will resume on Friday, said the city's executive director of human resources Lora Fontana on Tuesday at an online press conference.

Fontana said the city doesn't "have any indication right now" of whether the union is planning to strike Monday if a deal isn't reached. 

At the same event, city manager Janette Smith said the city is willing to stay at the bargaining table all weekend if necessary.

"We will continue to come to the bargaining table as a willing partner and with a sincere desire to get a fair deal," she said, encouraging residents to take a good look at the city website to see which of the services they require will be affected.

She declined to answer whether a prolonged strike could cancel large scale events in the city such as Supercrawl in September or the Grey Cup in November.

"I can say we remain very hopeful that a deal will be reached and will continue to bargain in good faith," she said.