As many of you have heard in the media, the City and its unions have been in the process of negotiating a new collective agreement.
Over the last several weeks, I have been holding daily briefings with our senior staff on the labour situation and will continue to monitor the situation closely. As you know, it is not in anyone’s best interest to have a strike and our negotiating team is doing everything possible to avoid a labour disruption.
As a follow-up to my last communiqué on this issue, I wish to provide you with an update on the most recent events.
- A “final offer” vote will take place by approximately 3,500 of our employees. The results of this vote will likely become known by no later than Friday.
- The “final offer” includes a wage increase of 10% over 39 months, with no reduction in benefits and job security. It is an offer that is fair to both our employees and taxpayers.
- Numerous municipalities throughout Metro Vancouver are also in various stages of negotiations with their local unions.
By way of background, I have also included a copy of the most recent communiqué the City Manager sent to all employees this week (pdf). I would encourage you to take a moment to read it.
I also want to thank everyone for the overwhelming number of email responses I received after I distributed my last communiqué. I have not had the ability to personally respond to each and every one of you, but needless to say, I will continue to ensure that every effort is made to avoid a strike.
Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.
Mayor Sam Sullivan
