Another strike hits Cambridge
Inside workers’ action second disruption this month
CAMBRIDGE — Another legal strike, the second in two weeks, has hit the City of Cambridge.
Inside workers formed picket lines outside city hall Friday, about a week after outside workers ended a sixday walkout that shuttered city arenas and pools by agreeing to a four-year deal with the city.
That’s a pair of Canadian Union of Public Employees strikes in 15 days for a city that last endured a labour disruption in 1978.
Having back-to-back city worker strikes in February could be seen as troubling.
But Mayor Doug Craig, who hadn’t seen a city worker strike in his 17 years as mayor until this month, prefers the longer-term perspective of labour relations at the city.
“These are the first strikes in 40 years,” said Craig. “It’s quite an enviable record.”
CUPE Local 1882, which says it represents 163 inside workers, left the bargaining table after negotiations with the city, aided by a provincially appointed mediator, broke down Thursday night just a few hours before a midnight strike/lockout deadline.
Inside workers include administrative and professional staff, building inspec-
tors, bylaw officers, customer service and technical services workers.
The city says all facilities will be open but delays will be noticed because of the need to redeploy staff to other areas.
The union says inside workers, “about 70 per cent,” are predominantly female.
The union argues the city is trying to undo job evaluation language that was established in the previous contract, which ran out at the end of 2015.
“This is about broken promises,” CUPE 1882 executive member Nancy Movrin said on Friday. “We’re not asking for any wage increases. We’re just looking for fairness.”
The city wants to end a “grandfathering” clause that was part of the last contract.
The clause, according to the city, allows about one-third of inside workers to earn more than their place on the job-evaluation wage grid indicates. The city wants to “red-circle” those employees and freeze their salaries, with no cost-of-living increase, until the wage grid “catches up.”
City manager Gary Dyke says the wage gap grandfathering created represents $326,000 to the city. In 10 years, that would grow into a $2-million financial burden, he said.
Warren Shaw, CUPE 1882 president and a Cambridge homeowner, says the city’s stance forced the union away from the bargaining table.
“I don’t want to see my taxes go up,” Shaw said. “But when my taxes go up and my wages go down, that’s a problem.”
Dyke — who says he had his contract as city manager extended until September 2023 in January with no wage increases, only term — was a little surprised to be facing a second strike by city workers in a short period.
“For both times, we thought we had solid packages on the table that addressed all concerns, including the responsibility to the ratepayers,” Dyke said.
“We’re just trying to put policies in place that are responsible and accountable to the public.”
Craig remained confident an agreement can be found to end this latest strike.
“We think this is very achievable in terms of coming up with an equitable contract,” Craig said. “It’s the same as any strike. We don’t want people to be out on the line.”
This is about broken promises. NANCY MOVRIN CUPE 1882 executive member