Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown warned on Thursday that the ongoing labour disruption that halted several city services may not be resolved anytime soon.
“We could be in a long labour disruption,” Brown said in an interview with CP24.
Some 1,200 City of Brampton workers walked off the job Thursday morning, affecting a range of possible services from recreation to transit.
The workers, represented by CUPE Local 831, have been in negotiations to reach a new contract with the city for months, but no deal has been hammered out so far.
The mayor told CP24 that he was disappointed with the strike, claiming that the city has negotiated in good faith with the union for almost a year.
Brown said the city’s final offer matched the deal that was offered to CUPE workers in Mississauga in the summer, which included a three per cent wage increase over four years.
“Brampton said we’ll do the very same thing. Every word of that deal, identical. Unfortunately, they have unrealistic comparisons. They want to be compared to first responders, firefighters and police. Those are essential workers that do not have the right to strike. There is danger pay that is inherently included in their compensation,” the mayor claimed.
CUPE Local 831 President Fabio Gazzola disputed the mayor’s claim, saying the city’s offer did not match the wage increases non-union employees received.
“What is fair for us is to catch up and get on the level playing field,” he said.
In an earlier interview, Gazzola said the union’s needs and proposals are reasonable.
He shared that the main sticking point in negotiations is wages. He said while wages have gone up for non-unionized city employees, unionized workers have fallen behind.
“Our goal is to get a deal for the for the members, but you know, the employer needs to respect us as well,” he said. “The cost of inflation, the Consumer Price Index has skyrocketed over the last five years. When we were locked in for a five-year deal we fell behind. All we’re trying to do is catch up.”
Jason Tamming, who serves as director of strategic communications, tourism & events for the City of Brampton, told CP24.com in an email earlier that the city is “actively prioritizing” the maintenance of essential and emergency services during the strike.
“The city negotiated over nine months in good faith putting forward a series of offers that are greater than inflation, that do not compromise resident’s ability to pay,” said Tamming, who is also a member of the city’s bargaining team.
He added that the city remains willing to negotiate.
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour issued a no board report on Oct. 21, paving the way for workers to begin striking as of Nov. 7. A message posted to the union’s website early Thursday said workers are now on strike.
“As a result of the potential labour disruption, some city services may be affected,” the city said in a post on its website.
In particular, transit service could be impacted, and the city advises transit users to make alternate plans.
“While the city will take all possible steps to maintain transit schedules, transit service may be impacted and it is recommended that Brampton Transit riders make alternate travel plans,” the city’s statement read.
Mayor Brown said while transit workers are not part of the strike, they’ve not been able to enter bus facilities because of CUPE members.
“We thought that CUPE would strike at CUPE locations. Unfortunately, today, they cause major disruptions for transit. They didn’t let transit operators enter the station, and that’s wrong,” the mayor said.
Brown said he respects the workers’ right to strike but they shouldn’t prohibit transit operators from doing their job.
“The city is going to be looking at what legal recourses are available to us to make sure that critical services returned as soon as possible. There are legal avenues that the city can use to make sure that that service is not disrupted,” the mayor said.
The CUPE Local 831 president said workers were picketing outside the Brampton Transit facility because the union represents some transit employees.
“We‘re not here to cause problems and disrupt. We’re here to demonstrate and show the valuable services that we perform,” Gazzola said.
“We’re here to get a deal done.”
Meanwhile, emergency services are operating normally, while other services are running, but may be limited or have longer wait times.
The city advised residents coming to city hall “should expect significant delays” in accessing the building and will need to cross the picket line to enter the facility.