Municipal Workers File for Conciliation in Contract Negotiations with City of Mount Pearl

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Negotiations between municipal workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2099 and the City of Mount Pearl have reached an impasse, and the union filed a request today for the assistance of a conciliation officer with the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Board.

“Talks have reached a stand still because the employer is demanding major concessions in the contract and there has been very little movement on many issues,” says CUPE 2099 President Ken Turner.

This round of bargaining began March 22, 2022. The two sides have met 12 times to negotiate since then.

“They have proposed language that would change the fundamental meaning of our collective agreement which would adversely affect the rights of all our workers, they’re attacking our benefits, which were fairly negotiated in previous rounds of bargaining, and they’re offering a very small wage increase that will not even come close to offsetting the high increase in the cost of living these days,” says Turner. “Anything less than a wage increase that keeps up with the cost of living means real wage cuts for our members. That’s unacceptable and no way to treat the hardworking people who keep this city running.”

“Hopefully, a conciliation officer will help move things forward to reach a fair and reasonable collective agreement.”

The current agreement between CUPE 2099 and the City of Mount Pearl will expire June 30, 2022.

CUPE 2099 represents approximately 200 municipal workers who work in recreation services, administration, taxation and finance, road maintenance, water and sewage, facilities maintenance, landscape maintenance, engineering and planning.

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