Workers represented by CUPE 1883 have authorized job action amid their ongoing contract negotiations with the Region of Waterloo. The union said 690 of their 761 members, or about 91 per cent, voted in favour of a strike. While 761 members voted, the union noted they have about 850 workers in total. “They’re feeling very empowered because we got a really great strike vote,” said union president Noelle Fletcher. CUPE 1883 represents employees at public health, libraries and museums, Ontario Works and other regional services. Fletcher said workers were concerned about declining frontline staffing levels and the lack of job security. “Region councillors have a track record of shortchanging frontline workers and services by imposing layoffs and letting positions go unfilled,” she claimed in a media release. “Waterloo Region is growing while frontline staffing is shrinking. But responsible growth requires sustainable staffing levels that put residents first and you cannot cut your way there.” The union is seeking stronger layoff protections and greater employment security. CUPE 1883 said the region has rejected those proposals. “For years, frontline staffing levels have gone in the wrong direction. Since 2021, residents have felt the impact of a 10 per cent reduction in frontline staffing. Meanwhile, management positions have ballooned by 24 per cent in just the last three years,” Fletcher said. “The region’s position could mean the loss of even more dedicated, skilled workers from their jobs and additional service decline for residents.” The union also pointed to the 2020 decision to close five regionally-operated child care centres, which it said eliminated more than 200 spaces and 60 frontline positions. “People are doing more with less, and we want the councillors to step up and realize that frontline workers are one of the most important things,” Fletcher said. “So, we don’t want more people laid off. We want more people because there’s also been growth in that time. The Region of Waterloo has got bigger, not smaller. So why are we reducing, public service workers?” Strike authorization does not necessarily mean a strike will happen. It gives the union a mandate to take job action if negotiations fail. But Fletcher said residents in the region would notice if there was a strike. “If we were if we were to go on strike, then, so we do all the administration for public health,” she said. “Museums are primarily all of us. So I would assume that they would close.” CUPE 1883 said the latest negotiations are aimed, in part, at preventing similar service reductions in the future. In a statement sent to CTV News, the Region of Waterloo said they were, “committed to reaching an agreement with CUPE 1883 that is competitive for members and affordable for taxpayers. Additional dates to meet with the union have been scheduled and we remain hopeful that a fair agreement can be reached. Out of respect for the bargaining process, we will not be providing further comment.” The union said the earliest they could strike is the end of September. Fletcher noted there are bargaining talks scheduled for the end of September and early October so that might be when a deal is reached. “Nobody wants to go on strike. People don’t get paid. It’s a really hard decision to make as a bargaining committee,” she said.
