City of Calgary office workers vote in favor of strike action

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Nearly nine out of 10 Calgary city clerks voted in favor of a strike last week, according to the president of the municipality's largest public sector union.

Local 38 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the city's roughly 5,000 administrative or technical workers, voted to strike last Wednesday and Thursday after an impasse in efforts to negotiate a new collective agreement.

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About 3,700 union members, or 89 percent of the 4,140 members who took part in last week's strike, supported further industrial action.

D'Arcy Lanovaz, president of CUPE Local 38, called the strike vote a “tremendous” unity.

“It sends a very clear message to the employer that their offer is far below the expectations of the members,” he said. “This is certainly far from our position and our recommendation to the employer.”

CUPE Local 38 has been negotiating with the city since their last collective agreement expired at the end of 2023. According to Lanovaz, the two bodies were unable to reach a resolution by April, even after appointing a third-party mediator.

He said CUPE Local 38 has proposed 10.5 percent raises for members over three years — 4.5 percent this year, 3.5 percent in 2025 and three percent in 2026.

The city countered by offering an eight percent increase over those three years. Lanovaz insisted the proposal doesn't take into account inflation, Calgary's improving local economy or the city's recent operating surpluses, including a $238 million positive variance last year.

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Another area of ​​concern for union members was language in the agreement regarding flexibility in the work-from-home policy.

“I hope cooler heads prevail”

Before any labor action is possible, Lanovaz said the next step is to return to the bargaining table. He said the outcome of the latest strike vote will send a “very clear mandate” to CUPE Local 38's bargaining committee when negotiations resume.

“I hope cooler heads prevail at the table with the employer,” he said. “Our goal is to come to an agreement and reach a new collective agreement. But the membership has made it clear that they are prepared to take a firm stand if this is not a fair offer.”

If a new agreement isn't reached, Lanovaz said city workers will work until the rule and then begin a rolling strike. The work regime includes refusing overtime and only performing the tasks and duties specified in the employee's job description.

“Many of our members do a significant amount for this employer, so we tell our members, 'If they're going to pay you to do XYZ, just do XYZ,'” he said. “If it fails, we may have to stop our work.”

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No date has been set for when the city and CUPE bargaining agents will resume negotiations, Lanovaz added.

“If the employer is reasonable, we can wrap it up tomorrow,” he said. “If the employer digs their heels in, we could see some labor action before the summer months.”

Other public sector unions are negotiating

While CUPE Local 38 has been deadlocked in negotiations over its collective agreement with the city, CUPE Local 37, which represents the municipality's outside workers, reached a tentative agreement earlier this year and will ratify a new contract Thursday.

All of the city's other public sector unions and associations, including Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583, the Calgary Police Association, International Association of Firefighters Local 255 and others, are also negotiating after their collective agreements expire on or before Dec. 31. This year.

A city spokeswoman told Postmedia Tuesday that the municipality was disappointed with the outcome of the CUPE Local 38 strike vote, but that discussions on a new collective agreement are continuing.

“We hope to be able to reach a fair and reasonable collective bargaining agreement in future negotiations,” the city said in a statement.

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