The 62 non-management workers who are off the job in Cochrane received support on the picket lines yesterday afternoon. Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario president Fred Hahn was back in Cochrane to lend his voice. He says Local 71 president Lyne Nolet has been reaching out daily to the town of Cochrane hoping to return to the bargaining table and end the strike.
“There is a pattern in municipalities established across the province,” he said. “These workers are asking for the same amount is not rocket science. It’s pretty basic and in fact and I think Lyne who is president of the local said it best. It’s like less than a cup of coffee per day were talking about here.”
Hahn says there appears to be miss-understanding with Mayor Peter Politis and council.
“The mayor and council might miss understand is that these folks know their worth, they live here, this is their community, they know the importance of their jobs,” he said. “And they are quite upset.”
Last week the workers rejected the latest contract offer. The town is offering two per cent this year and three in the next leaving inflation to decide whether the final two years will be at two or three per cent.