A strike is on the immediate horizon for local Children’s Aid Society (CAS) workers.
After a day of mediation on April 4 with upper management of Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County, CAS workers rejected the contract offered by management on April 6.
They will likely strike on April 9 at 12:01am.
“On the fourth we worked really hard to get a deal,” CUPE 4325 president Cathy Thomas told the Advertiser on April 7.
“We were the ones that said put together a deal. Management’s first comments through the mediator was they weren’t prepared to budge. That’s how they started the day off.”
Ninety-five out of 123 members of CUPE 4325 were in attendance for the contract vote, with 68 per cent voting to reject the offer from management.
Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County officials said on April 7 no further talks were scheduled between management and the union.
“Our primary concern is for the children and families we work with and essential services will continue to be provided for the duration of any labour disruption,” the organization stated in a press release.
“However, provision of non-essential services will be limited.”
The CAS workers share the concerns expressed by management.
“We’re really worried about our families and our children,” Thomas said. “There’s no way [management] can manage the work we do.”
CUPE 4325 has been negotiating with management since March 2015, when the CAS workers’ contract expired.
“It’s more about the fairness,” Thomas said, adding workers are looking for equality and respect in their new contract.
Wages and benefits negotiations stay local, Thomas explained – there is no provincial representation.
The local union represents 130 social service workers providing ongoing support and services to about 450 families, assisting 150 to 200 children in the agency’s care, working with 74 foster families, and handling 25 to 50 walk-ins per day.
Thomas explained that in their previous contract CAS workers received no salary increase for the first two years and 2.95% for the two following years, while three members of senior management received more than a 9% increase from 2014 to 2015.
In 2015 their salaries ranged from $120,477 to $129,427. Former executive director Daniel Moore received a 6% increase from 2014 to 2015. In 2015 Moore’s salary was $176,910. The salaries were discovered through the “Sunshine List.”
“Our members, they were aghast at one because we had done the zero-zero and we thought that our executive would lead by the same example because they’re the ones that are aware of the fiscal responsibilities, not us,” Thomas said.
“So that was a shocking difference between our senior management team and our employees.”
In January union members turned down the first proposal from management in a 71% vote. Following that was a 90% vote to strike on April 9 if what the union calls a “suitable” offer was not made.
“I think it’s difficult too because it’s just management seems to hold the cards. Like they know, they make the financial decisions, we don’t,” Thomas said. “So sometimes that’s a bit of an uneven playing field right when you’re trying to negotiate.”
Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County is “committed to a positive outcome that is fair to employees and allows the agency to manage within its government funded allocation,” the agency press release stated.
Thomas said if it comes to a strike on April 9, all services provided by CAS workers will cease.
“We’re a 24/7 agency so we have after-hours workers … we get phone calls … there’s a lot of families we service, a lot of kids in care, a lot of walk-ins,” Thomas said. “So we’re going to hope to negotiate right to the strike deadline if management’s willing to.”
