Month-long city workers’ strike ends in Cornwall

The municipal workers’ strike that has kept much of the City of Cornwall at a standstill for four weeks is over.

Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy told council Monday the city and its four Canadian Union of Public Employees had ratified a tentative agreement reached on June 8.

Municipal workers, paramedics and library staff started returning to work Tuesday morning. O’Shaughnessy said some city services may be delayed, depending on what needed to be done before they could safely resume.

CUPE members had approved the deals earlier in the day Monday.

The average vote among the groups of strikers was 93 per cent in favour of ratification, almost the same amount that had rejected the city’s previous offer a week ago.

The union had always cast the strike in Cornwall as being “avoidable.” The Standard-Freeholder revealed in spring of 2017 that the city planned to go into negotiations asking for a wage freeze; a position they had to abandon during contract negotiations.

The strike, which began May 17, centred on city demands for concessions. The biggest of which, according to Coun. André Rivette, was giving municipal workers who go on short-term disability 75 per cent of their regular salary instead of 100 per cent.

Neither side in the dispute revealed settlement details.

Among other services, the walkout closed the Cornwall Aquatic Centre and the Richelieu childcare centre, along with impacting service levels at Cornwall’s recreational facilities and municipal offices.