Quebec City blue collar workers vote to strike

Union issues strike notice after learning of impending layoffs

The union representing Quebec City's outside workers says its members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

About 952 municipal workers cast ballots and voted 98 per cent in favour of striking.

The city’s 1,350 blue-collar employees — represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) — have been without a contract since December 2010. The parties have met 13 times over the past year, including four times with a provincial mediator, according to the union.

Talks between the parties broke off abruptly on April 12 when the union obtained an internal memo from the CEO foreshadowing large-scale cuts.

The city issued 162 layoff notices on April 17, but the union quickly filed a motion with the Commission des relations du travail du Québec (CRT) asking for the layoffs to be deemed illegal.

UPDATE: 162 Quebec City layoffs illegal: Labour board

The layoffs are illegal because a private company has been hired to complete the work normally done by the workers and it should be considered an illegal lockout to intimidate workers, the union said in a press release.

The CRT will hear the case on April 20.

CUPE says it has a strike date in mind, but must give seven days notice before any job action takes place.

The key issues in the dispute are wages and workload.

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