The Town of Cochrane is playing its only card that lets it force a supervised contract vote by its 60 striking workers.
CUPE Local 71 president Lyne Nolet says it came after conciliation last Friday failed to break the impasse over one issue: Money.
“The employer informed the conciliator they were forcing the vote, so he came in and told us,” she relates to My Cochrane Now Dot Com.
It’s now up to the Ministry of Labour to schedule and supervise the vote.
UNION PETITION ZEROES IN ON CHILD CARE
Meanwhile, child care is the focus of a pressure campaign mounted by the union.
Nolet says anyone can sign the associated petition; especially parents, grandparents and interim caregivers. It’s asking that the strike be settled, so the municipal child care service can resume.
“It’s very important to parents, to children, to the community in general. It’s very important to have child care.”
The petition is available all day Thursday at the picket line outside the fire hall.
The union demand for a 3% raise in each of four years is the only outstanding issue in the dispute.
The strike by 60 non-management workers began July 31st.