Police have been called as Qualicum Beach council’s lockout heats up and heads into a fourth week.
“The picket lines obstructed vehicles and the RCMP were called,” town Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Sailland said Wednesday morning of an incident Tuesday with the garbage truck at the Church Road transfer station.
He said union staff complied once police showed up, but that Wednesday morning unionized staff were blocking the garbage truck with their cars from accessing residential streets and police were called again.
“Nope, we’re not blocking traffic,” said CUPE 401 Vice President Laurence Amy calling it management “over-reacting and panicking.”
“We were following the garbage truck to the transfer station,” Amy said shrugging off the accusation. He said the police did show up but nothing changed since they weren’t doing anything wrong.
RCMP Cpl. Jesse Foreman confirmed they were called to the transfer station, but “upon attending there was no issue, nothing going on that we could charge for.”
He stressed that aside from safety issues, “our role is just to keep the peace. This is a civil matter between the town and the union. It’s a political issue that we try to stay out of.”
At the time, Foreman was unaware of a similar situation on a residential street.
“We were concerned that town management was violating the rules during a lockout,” said CUPE 401 Vice President Laurence Amy, explaining they “took the town to the labour board on Friday to address concerns about inappropriate activity on the town’s part” for clarity on “what work exempt employees can do.”
He said for example, the union was concerned about the fire chief doing building inspections, “despite the fact that he does not meet the suggested qualifications established by the building inspectors’ professional body.”
“The chief is exempt and has a right to be doing his job,” countered Sailland, adding that the fire chief has gone through level one training for building inspections.
“Members monitoring the work that exempt staff are doing is standard practice in these situations,” Amy said adding that meanwhile, “our central focus is on getting back to the table and getting a fair deal.”
“We have been without a contract since December, 2013 and we are seeking the same two percent annual increase reached in neighbouring communities,” he said. “Our priority remains getting a fair deal with a minimum impact on the citizens and businesses of Qualicum Beach.”
Union members gave strike notice for July 26, but only banned overtime. Town council locked staff out on July 31.
Calls to mayor Teunis Westbroek were returned by Sailland who said Westbroek was busy focused on meetings and town business.
In the town’s Town Tidings page in this edition of The NEWS, management writes that “Qualicum Beach’s wages are comparable to, or better than, most Parksville rates,” explaining that while it’s hard to compare exact jobs, “Qualicum Beach still has a greater percentage of employees earning over $29 per hour… and provides more vacation time and offers more bereavement time.”
A list of about 50 town staff shows an annual wage range of $36,928 for a Parks Utility IV position to $79,261 for a GIS/IT Coordinator. The requested two per cent would add $739 a year at the low end and $1,585 at the top.
Sailland reiterated that council has increased its offer from 1.2 per cent to 1.8 per cent plus an $1,800 signing bonus.
He said they have offered to sit down with the help of a mediator, but the union refuses until the town agrees to the two per cent request, “which defeats the purpose of negotiating.”
“The town wants to explore options and ways we can try to find efficiencies and save money, but we need to be at the table to do that,” Sailland said.
He noted that garbage collection is continuing, but may be delayed. He asked that residents bring the garbage back in and contact the town at 250-752-6921 for other arrangements if it isn’t picked up by 8 p.m. on the scheduled day.
