Council, senior city staff brace for lengthy strike
Giving in to union demands would mean 9.1 per cent tax increase, councillors say
The City of Edmonton sees significant and lengthy shutdowns or impacts to city services, facilities and local governance when unionized civic workers strike Thursday, but city council says giving employees their requested wage hikes would mean raising property taxes by another 2.5 per cent this year.
Accepting what Civic Service Union (CSU) 52 is proposing would result in a final property tax increase of 9.1 per cent for 2024, with a $17 million retroactive payment due immediately, all members of city council said in a rare joint statement late Tuesday.
Council landed on a 6.6 per cent tax increase in November, of which 1.6 per cent came from raises for the police.
Council doubled down on the city's existing offer, calling its proposal “fair and equitable” for both taxpayers and the more than 5,000 striking civic and library employees.
“The offer presented by the city strives to balance the requests of CSU 52 members for fair compensation and a more flexible work environment with the current fiscal pressures faced by the city and Edmontonians,” the statement reads.
“All members of council are united in our desire to reach a fair and equitable resolution for all city employees. We deeply value their contributions. The city's negotiating team will continue to be open to discussion to find the best resolution possible for both our employees and all Edmontonians.”
Most council members had shared the statement on social media by Wednesday afternoon.
The reception online was overwhelmingly negative.
STRIKE COULD BE LENGTHY
City manager Andre Corbould at a Wednesday news conference suggested the strike may not be short-lived.
“We're disappointed to have reached this point, and we know how hard the coming weeks will be on our employees and Edmontonians,” he said. “We do value our employees and the important work they do.
“I think (the disruption) is very serious but I also think people have to understand that labour action is sometimes a part of the collective bargaining process, and everyone has a right to do it.”
He urged people at the City of Edmonton to be compassionate and respectful when the picket lines go up Thursday.
Postmedia obtained an internal city email saying staff in CSU 52 “who wish to continue to work can do so” and to speak to management about the process.
At the news conference, Corbould also explained the 2.5 per cent tax impact includes raises for staff in CSU 52, plus other employees outside the union. That's because decisions made on this agreement would impact the salaries of non-unionized staff and potentially influence other labour negotiations.
But civic staff are showing no signs of accepting this deal.
CSU 52 members overwhelmingly rejected the city's proposal in a direct vote last week. The city was offering a 7.25 per cent wage increase spread over five years from 2021-2025.
Library, clerical, communications and IT staff, along with 911 dispatchers and front-facing recreation centre staff are among the employees negotiating new contracts.
DEAL SHOULDN'T BURDEN TAXPAYERS, UNION SAYS
Union president Lanny Chudyk met with Mayor Amarjeet Sohi Tuesday but said afterwards the city is still refusing to negotiate.
Chudyk, responding to council's joint statement, said city council should not burden taxpayers because they won't prioritize wages for front-line workers over optional spending.
“Leadership is taking a look at the `nice-to-haves' and making hard choices. Your people and workforce are your bread and butter and need to be made a priority,” he said in a Wednesday news release.
CSU 52 is focusing negotiations on three years with raises of 1.5 per cent (2021), 1.5 per cent (2022), and two per cent (2023), countering the city's offer of zero, one, and two per cent for those years.
Chudyk also questioned the 2.5 per cent tax hike number, saying the union is negotiating for its unique membership of more than 5,500 employees, not all city workers.
RECREATION CENTRES, CITY ATTRACTIONS CLOSE TO PUBLIC AND COUNCIL MEETINGS REDUCED
Many city facilities and services will be limited or closed beginning Thursday until the labour dispute is resolved.
Recreation centres, pools and arenas will be closed to the general public, but prearranged bookings, rentals and classes, such as pre-booked ice time at the arena, can continue.
There will be no front-desk reception or drop-in programs, including for art or fitness.
All libraries will be closed.
CITY ATTRACTIONS WILL CLOSE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
Fort Edmonton Park will have reduced service, but prearranged events continue.
311 will be down except for urgent public safety requests.
Freedom of information requests won't be processed.
Transit, including DATS, won't be impacted.
Emergency services by police and the fire department aren't affected. But the police will be cancelling some non-emergency services and closing all front counters except Downtown division, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) announced Tuesday.
Some officers will fill in for 911 operators.
Services processed at EPS' public information check station will be paused, including police information checks, local police records checks, civil fingerprinting and alarm permits.
A full list of disruptions can be found on the city's website and the EPS website.
Your people and workforce are your bread and butter and need to be made a priority.