It’s back to work today (Monday) for 62 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, ending an eight-week strike against the Town of Cochrane.
Local 71 president Lyne Nolet says she’s satisfied with the pay increase her membership accepted: Two percent this year, three next year, 2.75% two-and-three-quarters the following yea, and 2.5% in the final year of the contract.
The wage settlement is something Mayor Peter Politis says Town Hall is content with.
“Basically, the cost to the taxpayer went up by three-quarters of a percent, so that’s not overly arduous. It’s something that’s manageable and if employees are content, we’re content as well.”
Nolet also points out that some workers will move to ten-hour shifts, and others will be part of a trial on that schedule.
Nolet says she didn’t take anything personally during the walk-out, but doesn’t like how the town released some details of negotiations before her members were informed.
“Facebook is not an ethical way to negotiate,” she remarks. “I think those things need to be addressed.”
Mayor Politis says it’s “an absolutely good thing” that the strike has ended. He believes everyone on either side wants to get back to normal, adding that no one ever wants to go through a strike.
“As we mentioned before, there is a lot of turmoil coming out of a once in a generation event, like a pandemic and there’s going to be some some more turmoil over the next three years” says the mayor, “and we’re just going to have to continue to find our way through that, and I think we’ve done that to this point, at least on the strike standpoint.”
The 62 CUPE members occupy non-management positions with the municipality.