POWELL RIVER - On the eve of entering into mediation with the City of Powell River, CUPE 798 President Danielle Craigen cautioned Mayor and Council against continuing the previous council’s proposal for zero spending and tax increases to 2019.

“It always sounds like a good idea to tell people their taxes won’t be going up. But there is a high cost to a zero tax policy,” said Craigen. 

VICTORIA–The City of Victoria and CUPE Local 50 have announced that starting January 1, new Parking Ambassadors will be moved to an in-house model.

The in-house model is intended to give the City greater ability to offer a parking experience consistent with customer service objectives and stakeholder needs, while still regulating parking to ensure there is high turnover of parking spaces downtown.

POWELL RIVER - Powell River city workers have requested mediation in an effort to reach an agreement with the city and avoid service disruption.

“We know that the city is in good financial health and that other similar and neighbouring communities have reached agreements with their workers along the same terms that CUPE is seeking.  Given this, we are hopeful that mediation scheduled for May 14 and 15 will allow us to reach a fair agreement,” said Danielle Craigen, CUPE 798 president.

VICTORIA - New public consultations for the development of sewage treatment are underway in the Capital Regional District (CRD). Select Committees for the Eastside and Westside of the CRD’s Core Area are conducting separate consultation processes and inviting public participation. At the end of consultations, the two committees will come together to discuss solutions that could work across the entire Core Area.

CUPE members and others who support publicly owned and operated sewage treatment have a number of options to get involved and be part of discussions.

POWELL RIVER – Workers in the City of Powell River have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action if they are unable to negotiate a fair settlement in the current round of bargaining.

CUPE 798 President Danielle Craigen said that members received a bargaining update at a well-attended meeting on Wednesday, and then voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action if necessary. 

CUPE 402 President Jeannie Kilby and CUPE 402-01 President Mike Guraliuk with CUPE and community members at the White Rock city hall rally opposed to privatization of city services.

WHITE ROCK – CUPE members joined several hundred City of White Rock residents at city hall today protesting plans to privatize garbage collection and recycling services.

WHITE ROCK – CUPE members in the City of White Rock have been out talking to the community about the proposed privatizing of residential garbage and recycling services, and they have heard lots of support for keeping it public.

CASTLEGAR - The City of Castlegar has finally ratified a new collective agreement with its civic workers – members of CUPE Local 2262.  CUPE members found out through local media that the mayor and council had voted to ratify the deal this morning, nine days after the union voted overwhelmingly to accept the collective agreement.

CUPE 2262 members took to the street this morning to thanks strike supporters.CASTLEGAR – Striking Castlegar civic workers have ratified a new collective agreement. The 35 members of CUPE Local 2262 voted overwhelmingly last night to accept terms hammered out during two days of mediated talks with the City on Monday and Tuesday.

CASTLEGAR - The message was loud and clear at Friday’s support rally for striking Castlegar workers – you are NOT alone.

The 34 members of CUPE 2262 have been on the picket lines for more than a month and legally on strike since August. The city so far refuses to return to the bargaining table.