Oakville’s outside town workers prepare to strike as of Thursday

The Town of Oakville is preparing for a potential strike of outdoor workers and facility operators as of Thursday.

Negotiations between the town and CUPE Local 136 have been ongoing since April. The union gave official notice to the town that they would be proceeding with strike action as of 12:01 a.m.  after rejecting the latest offer.

In a statement released Wednesday, the town said it is “regrettable that they are not delaying their strike action.”

However, Peter Knafelc, the Union President for the Corporation of Oakville says that the strike action is being taken as a result of the no-board report issued by the local government.

A no-board report is a formal notice issued through the provincial government that states a board of conciliation will not be appointed in the event of an agreement not being reached. It sparks a 17-day period after which legal strike action can begin by the parties involved.

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Knafelc spoke on some of the demands being made amidst negotiations by the union.

“We have asked for a three-year deal. The corporation now wants a four-year deal. And we’re asking for wages that are close to the cost of living and we’re not even close to that right now.”

Local 136, which represents more than 285 workers, released a statement responding to the latest offer outlining their concerns with the perimeters of the proposed contract.

The union’s negotiating team says the offer failed to address concerns raised over wages, ending 12-hour regular work days, the “abuse” of temporary workers and the end to mandatory on-call and standby shifts.

Should strike action be taken, this would be the first time in the town’s history that workers walk off the job.

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The town says that the strike would affect a variety of facilities and public services. Officials say they have plans in place to limit any disruptions to essential service delivery and health and safety matters.

Some facilities will be closed, including community centres and arenas, washrooms in parks, leash free dog parks and the Field House at Bronte Athletic Park.

Leaf collection is also set to be stalled until the strike ends.

Town Hall and Oakville Transit will remain open along with ServiceOakville, libraries (including those operating out of community centres), Sir John Colborne Recreation Centre for Seniors, Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate and the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts.

This comes as the town reached a tentative deal with indoor workers represented by CUPE Local 1329 was reached Friday and ratified Monday. Details of that agreement have yet to be released to the public.

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