Union representing 5,000 City of Winnipeg workers gets 93% vote in favour of strike mandate

The union that represents 5,000 City of Winnipeg workers say it's poised to strike if the city doesn't come back with what CUPE Local 500 considers a fair wage proposal.

Nintey-three per cent ofthe union's members voted in favour of a strike mandate on Tuesday, said the union's president, Gord Delbridge.

The main sticking point is wages, he said. The city is offering members less than a two per cent increase in each year of the four-year term, and "that's too low," Delbridge said in an interview with CBC News on Tuesday evening.

"Our members are underpaid. We're one of the lowest-paid civic bargaining groups of any inthe city, one of the big bargaining groups. And that's a serious concern," he said.

"They've got to step up to the plate if they want to keep our members at work."

Delbridge says members hope to get back to the table and that the city will return with a reasonable offer, but at this point, the two sides are far apart.

The city and the union started negotiations on March 10, 2021, a month after the previous contract expired.

David Driedger, the manager of corporate communications for the City of Winnipeg, says the city is committed to negotiating in a fair manner, andwill continue to make every reasonable effort to successfully negotiate an agreement.

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