Public works employees in N.S. municipality on strike over wages, temporary worker protections

Unionized public works employees at the Region of Queens Municipality are on strike after failing to reach agreement on wages, weekend work compensation and protections for temporary employees, among other issues.

Jim Sponagle, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1928, said the workers are employed in areas such as water treatment, wastewater treatment, solid waste and infrastructure upkeep.

The union says that up to 40 workers are involved. However, Pam Lovelace, the municipality's acting CAO, said only about 20 workers are on strike.

The municipality posted a notice on its website indicating that all municipal services will continue as normal during the strike.

Workers went on strike Thursday morning after submitting a notice of their intention to strike on Dec. 20. The municipality subsequently issued a lockout notice.

Sponagle said union workers in the municipality are paid significantly less than their counterparts in other jurisdictions.

He said the municipality's latest offer has wage increases of 1.5 per cent in the first year and two per cent in the two subsequent years. He said that is unacceptable given the rising cost of living.

Another area of contention, Sponagle said, is the municipality proposing to compensate weekend work at straight time.

The status of temporary workers is a long-standing point of contention between the parties, he said.

"Temporary employees have been in our collective agreement for 40 years and they'll continue to be in our agreement," Sponagle said. "However, the Region of Queens legal counsel seems to suggest that they're not in the union."

Figures in dispute

Lovelace disputes the union's wage figures and says a higher offer was made.

"The Region conducted a comprehensive wage review to ensure every union position is paid a fair and competitive wage, resulting in wage increases of between 2.5%-26.5% in the first year of the collective agreement with IBEW Local 1928," Lovelace said in an email Saturday.

In an earlier interview, she said only a "small group of workers" are on strike and non-union staff have stepped in to ensure the municipality continues to operate without disruption.

She said the lockout of striking workers was put in place to ensure that workplace conflicts would not arise between union members and non-union members.

"We are hoping that the union will please come back to the table so we can end this," Lovelace said.

"We haven't had a strike in Liverpool for a long time. So it's new for a lot of folks to deal with."