Union optimistic
City of Powell River workers have requested mediation in an effort to reach an agreement with their employer and avoid service disruption.
Danielle Craigen, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 798, said the union is looking to negotiate a similar contract as other municipal workers in neighbouring communities and to schedule mediation for May 14 and 15 with the city.
Both parties have been negotiating since February 2014, but have only met for 25 days during that period. The union reports that both sides are far apart.
Craigen said the union needs to see the employer “step back from an incredibly aggressive concessions package, particularly on key issues of fairness for part-time staff, job evaluation and job security.”
CUPE Local 798 represents close to 150 members who work for the city and provide a wide range of services to the city’s residents and businesses. The collective agreement expired in December 2012. The union took a 98 per cent strike vote on March 25 of this year.
Greens to choose
Susan Moen has filed her papers to become the Green Party of Canada’s candidate in the newly formed federal riding of Powell River-North Island.
Moen ran for the Greens in the 2011 general election in the riding of Vancouver Island North. She visited Powell River earlier this spring as the party’s executive member for the riding. According to the minutes from the last riding association meeting, Moen, so far, is the only candidate to put her name forward for selection.
