Striking CUPE members attending a council meeting earlier this fall. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Strike Over

Strike involving City of P.A. inside workers officially over, legal battle brewing with councillor

Dec 11, 2023 | 7:26 PM

Inside workers for Prince Albert will be back on the job Tuesday morning after the city’s council voted to accept the tentative deal.

They did so at their meeting Monday which had its fair share of drama.

A refusal by Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp to declare a conflict of interest and recuse herself from the vote had Mayor Greg Dionne calling a short recess to confer with city solicitor Mitch Holash. He then issued a warning to Zepp, who still refused to leave.

“I am intending on the basis of legal advice to stay on this file,” said Lennox-Zepp. “When my spouse is an active member on the file, then I have been and continue to do so properly, recuse myself.”

Dionne said there would be consequences and that he had an independent legal opinion from an out-of-province lawyer stating that she was in a conflict of interest.

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“All I can say is, govern yourself accordingly and prepare for the action,” he said.

Lennox-Zepp is herself a lawyer but works in criminal law for Legal Aid.

Her husband has been involved in the ongoing CUPE negotiations, but Lennox-Zepp said he has not worked in that capacity for a while.

Two months ago, she declared a conflict of interest and left the council chambers when a vote was called. This time, only Councillor Tony Head who works for CUPE National said he was in a conflict and left the room, as he had done previously.

Dionne told paNOW legal action will come in the new year.

“She chose to stay so now she will have to deal with the repercussions,” he said.

Dionne was the only member of council to not vote and said he abstained for a reason.

“I supported giving them 11 per cent and this deal does not give them 11 per cent,” he said. “But they made the offer to us and actually in years three and four, they lose $900 per year and that’s to the lowest earners, so I did not support that.”

The remaining councillors all voted to accept the deal, which means most workers will be back on the job tomorrow and the rest when their normal shift happens.

The strike by CUPE 882 was the first strike in the city’s history.

Meanwhile, CUPE 160 still has not finalized its new contract with the city with the most recent update having the union and city negotiating which workers were essential before a strike could happen.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com