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CUPE files labor complaint, claims city garbage contractor fired workers who tried to unionize – Winnipeg Free Press

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Winnipeg's largest labor union has filed a labor complaint against a local garbage contractor, alleging it blocked unionization efforts and punished some employees who participated.

“The union filed an unfair labor practice against GFL (Environmental). We believe that (a) the constitutional rights of employees to form a union have been violated. As a result, we believe the employer wrongfully fired these people,” said Gord Delbridge, president of Local 500 of the Canadian Public Employees Union.

Delbridge said workers at a garbage collection company that provides a portion of the city's trash collection services filed for unionization about a year ago, and talks continued last year.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILE Gord Delbridge, president of Canadian Local 500 Public Employees Union.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRINT FILES

Gord Delbridge, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500.

“We've been working with all the employees … trying to unionize there (and) there's been a couple of layoffs over the last year,” he said.

The union leader did not give an exact number of affected employees, but said he believed “several” positions had been cut.

“They complained to the union because they felt pressured by the employer to get involved with the union. We believe the employer acted improperly by impeding the organizational drive,” Delbridge said.

According to him, the parties will discuss the dates of the hearing with the labor council within the next month.

Although no specific dates have been set, the Manitoba Labor Board has directed that the matter be referred to a hearing.

“This is a petition seeking to remedy an (alleged) unfair labor practice that contravenes (several) sections of the Labor Relations Act,” said Raymond McIsaac, the board's registrar.