Union rejects mediator's recommendations; pickets expand to landfill
John French
[email protected]
The garbage and recycling is piling up in Squamish as Carney's Waste Systems and its unionized employees are embroiled in a labour dispute that has grown tense in its first week.
The sides in the dispute are at odds over a number of issues and as a result, the workers are manning picket lines, managers are trying to deliver services and residents have few options for dealing with their waste.
At The Chief's press deadline, workers had set up an information picket at the Squamish landfill and were handing out flyers to people taking advantage of a District of Squamish (DOS) offer to accept, free of charge, two household-sized garbage cans of garbage a week from residents.
The unionized Carney's employees, members of the Operating Engineers Local 115, voted in favour of strike action if negotiations didn't produce a satisfactory agreement. The vote resulted in the announcement of 72-hour strike notice early last week.
Initially, the job action was restricted last Thursday (Oct. 27) to Whistler but the limited job action evolved into a full strike by Friday.
The employer opted to lock the workers out early this week as company managers took on the work deemed most important.Company owner Owen Carney said he and his son Mike, who owns a small portion of the company, along with manager Paul Kindree, are driving trucks through the labour dispute.
"Our first priority is to pick up the garbage for the health and safety of humans and bears," said Owen Carney. "We ask residents to take their waste to the landfill or compactor sites and to keep their recyclables at home during this labour dispute."
Pickets were restricted through much of the week to the main gate at the Carney's operation on Queens Way but employees manning the picket Wednesday (Nov. 2) said they might also set up picket lines at the recycling centres on Government Road and in Valleycliffe.
Eric Sundstrom, a union shop steward, said the striking employees want to disrupt business operations for Carney's without causing significant inconvenience for the public. "We just want to go back to work," Sundstrom said. "We just don't want to do it for free."
The union reported it is looking for an increase equal to the cost of living while Carney's reported through a news release issued Wednesday that the company is offering increases of 2.75 per cent to the current hourly wage of $22.09 in each of the next three years along with an increase to pension contributions.
Wages are a contentious point in the dispute but Sundstrom said it isn't the main issue for the employees. According to union representative Don Swerden, the workers want an end to the practice of the assistant manager driving while employees sit at home. He also said the workers want some residential collection routes to be manned by a pair of workers to reduce injuries.
The union asked for a session with a mediator at the Labour Relations Board but that meeting on Tuesday proved fruitless.
An offer was reportedly produced after the mediation session but the employees rejected it.
Following that session there were no new talks and at last word, no meeting dates were scheduled.
Meanwhile, at the DOS Council meeting on Tuesday (Nov. 1) mayor Ian Sutherland said there will be credits for residents. Homeowners pay an annual fee for home garbage pickup and Sutherland said a credit will be issued equal to the amount of missed service.
Sutherland added that if the union workers will allow it to happen, those who can't get their garbage to the landfill or to one of the two compactors can call the DOS to make arrangements for a DOS staff person to pick up the garbage and deal with it.
