Move ends ‘challenging couple of years’
Part-time firefighters employed by the Town of Kirkland Lake in Ontario decided to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union on Oct. 23.
The part-time firefighters, also known as the Kirkland Lake Volunteer Fire Brigade, voted last week to join the USW, says the union.
“The Kirkland Lake Volunteer Fire Brigade has endured through a challenging couple of years, both financially and emotionally with the loss of many members. Going forward we feel the United Steelworkers will prove to be an asset in strengthening our organization and allowing us more time to serve our community,” says the firefighters’ statement.
Issues include the town’s practice of allocating a fixed sum of funding to pay the part-time firefighters, which does not change regardless of the number of calls or the volume and nature of work that must be done, says the union.
