CUPE 882 Members sit at a city council meeting on Aug. 21, 2023. (CUPE882/Facebook)

By paNOW Staff

Union asks P.A. residents for input on contract negotiations

Aug 23, 2023 | 5:08 PM

If you received a message from a local union asking for your thoughts on the current state of negotiations, you’re not alone.

In fact, thousands of Prince Albert residents reportedly got a text message or automated voice call on behalf of CUPE 882.

The union which represents inside workers with the City of Prince Albert collaborated with Stratcom, a third-party polling company to send messages asking for people’s thoughts on what the City of Prince Albert is offering union members.

The union has been without a contract since late 2021 and voted in favour of strike action last month.

This is a transcript of the voice call sent to many Prince Albert phone numbers last week

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“Over the last 5 years, our contracts with the City of Prince Albert didn’t keep up with inflation. Meanwhile, the Mayor and City Councillors’ gave themselves 20 per cent increases,” the message reads. That was before the cost-of-living crisis. Now, the City is wanting us to take an even bigger cuts to our purchasing power while City Councillor’s have a proposal to give themselves another huge increase in pay over the same period, triple what they are offering us.

Do you think it is unfair that the City of Prince Albert is offering their employees increases below the rate of inflation while Councillors receives 3 times as much?”

On Wednesday night, CUPE 882 provided the results of those surveys saying that 4,467 people in total gave responses. Over 3,700 people said the City’s wage offer is not fair.

READ MORE: Eleven per cent raise for P.A.’s non-union staff approved as inside workers escalate job action

Before union members started job action on Aug. 11, the City of Prince Albert had offered an 11 per cent wage increase over three years. At the time, the City said it was their only offer on the table.

Only 691 people who responded to the CUPE survey said that the wage offer was fair.

Speaking to paNOW, Tria Donaldson with CUPE Saskatchewan said the robocalls and texts are part of a budget the national union has for situations like this.

“We are investing money in terms of strike averting to try to connect with the public and put pressure on City Council to get back to the table,” she said. “We want to do everything we can to reach a deal before job action is needed.”

CUPE 882 entered phase two of its work-to-rule job action on Wednesday morning which includes refusing to follow all uniform and dress code policies, standards, conventions, and rules in all city facilities.

The union also took time to address what it called misleading information presented at a meeting on Monday afternoon.

“We want to be clear: the city is refusing to bargain and their comments during the emergency meeting made it clear they have little interest in coming together to reach a fair deal,” said Allan McKeand, a city employee and a spokesperson for CUPE 882.

“The union was also concerned that city administration was not able to answer basic questions from councillors about the cost rationale for rejecting the union’s counteroffer.” When asked directly what the cost of a one per cent increase for these workers is, the City Manager said they do not have the answer. “

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

@princealbertnow