Cape Breton Regional Municipality Avoids Strike As Union Ratifies New Agreement
SYDNEY—Cape Breton Regional Municipality has avoided a massive strike after a group of unionized employees accepted a new collective agreement.
CUPE Local 759 members ratified a new, four-year contract with CBRM on December 16.
The union represents about 300 “outside workers” who work in public transit, parks, maintenance, janitorial services, and more.
“We believe this is a fair deal for our members and for the public we serve,” CUPE 759 President Kevin Ivey said in a news release.
Now that the contract has been ratified by union members, the CBRM must also approve it.
If it does, the new agreement will be effective retroactively from November 1, 2020 and last until October 31, 2024.
The union had been without a contract for more than a year; Its previous collective agreement expired in October 2020.
Last month, the union and CBRM reached a tentative deal on a new agreement but union membership rejected it. At the time, Ivey said the membership wanted higher wages than those being offered.
Details have not yet been released on the new agreement.
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