After a forced vote by Black River-Matheson, the CUPE Local 1490 lockout will remain in place.
A 24-hour forced vote began yesterday (Jan. 18) with the union releasing a statement this afternoon noting that the town’s offer had been rejected.
The township called for the forced vote after what the union said the town described as their final offer.
“We said it before and we’ll say it again,” said Serge Bouchard, president of CUPE Local 1490 in the statement.
“We held out this long for a reason – we will not let the township attack our wages, especially those of the next generation of workers, and that means rejecting the offer they put before us during the forced vote.”
SEE: Township forcing locked out Matheson workers to vote
The township and CUPE Local 1490 members have been negotiating a new contract since March and the parties were in legal position for a strike or lockout on Oct. 15., which ultimately resulted in a lockout.
Fourteen full-time municipal workers are affected by the labour dispute.
Bouchard said 13 members voted no to the forced offer.
“This is absolutely a sign of our resolve and of the support we’re getting from the residents and community organizations. And there’s only more to come,” he said.
On Jan. 23, Bouchard said they will be attending the town’s council meeting to let elected representatives know “that it’s time for the real deal.”
“One that doesn’t save money on the backs of the next generation of workers. One that doesn’t pit us against one another. One that respects and recognizes the work we do for our community,” he said.
