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Municipal workers do one-day walkout

Approximately 40 local Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) workers walked off the job Friday (Oct. 21) to join teachers on the picket lines on what turned out to be the teachers' last day of protest.

Approximately 40 local Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) workers walked off the job Friday (Oct. 21) to join teachers on the picket lines on what turned out to be the teachers' last day of protest.

"We're still out here showing our support, there's no solution yet," said local shop steward Jim Allen from the picket lines. "It's the whole collective agreement thing that the government seems to be trying to throw out the window and when does it come on everybody else? The big fear of most unions is if they get away with it here, who's next, when does CUPE get the hammer falling on them?"

Mayor Ian Sutherland said the District of Squamish was aware that many of its CUPE employees would be walking off and the municipality made sure important facilities were still up and running.

"We understand they want to show support for the teachers our big concern was that we still offer a level of service within the district and we've done that by having certain staffing levels guaranteed, so that our taxpayers and citizens could do business at City Hall," said Sutherland on Friday afternoon. "So far it's been business as usual."

The Brennan Park Recreation Centre, it's swimming pool and ice rink, were running on schedule.

Allen said the workers had the option of joining the approximately 40,000 Lower Mainland CUPE workers at rallies in Vancouver or staying local.

"We felt that our support would be better received locally," he said.

Rallies, hosted by CUPE BC president Barry O'Neill, were held at the PNE in Vancouver and at Stetson Bowl in Cloverdale. CUPE national president Paul Moist, BCTF president Jinny Sims and Hospital Employees' Union secretary- business manager Judy Darcy joined O'Neill at the rallies.spaillard@squamishchief.com

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