Toronto’s outside workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate as their union continues to negotiate contracts with the city.
In a news release, CUPE Local 416 said its members turned out “in large numbers” to provide their bargaining committee with a “very strong mandate in support of a number of actions, including a work stoppage.”
The union represents 6,000 municipal workers, including garbage collectors and parks staff.
“We are very gratified by what can only be described as an very strong vote for a strike mandate,” said Matt Alloway, a member of the bargaining committee. “With this mandate, we are confident that we are in a position to negotiate an agreement that can strengthen the City’s services by providing the workers who deliver those services with good, stable jobs.”
In December, city officials asked the ministry of labour to appoint a conciliator in its ongoing negotiations with CUPE 416.
Alloway said the union is “concerned” that the city is taking an “aggressive approach” to bargaining.
“So it was an important time for us to engage with our members, update them on what is happening at the bargaining table, and gauge their support.”
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Mayor John Tory said receiving a strike mandate is a “customary” part of the negotiation process. He said the goal remains the same, which is to reach a fair agreement.
“And by fair I mean one that is fair to the people who work for the city but also fair to the circumstances in which the city finds itself in,” Tory said, adding Toronto is “not in a situation in which we have an awful lot of money.”
Earlier this week CUPE 79, which represents the city’s 20,000 inside workers, announced that its members had also voted to give the union a strike mandate.
