Strike averted: City and outside workers reach tentative agreement

Mayor Rob Ford says the tentative contract reached with 6,000 outside city workers marks “a fantastic day for taxpayers of this great city.”

Ford told reporters he is “extremely happy we have been able to reach this agreement without a labour disruption.”

The remarks came Sunday morning, after all-night negotiations that capped months of rancorous bargaining, and an announcement by CUPE Local 416 president Mark Ferguson of the tentative deal that involves “numerous concessions” and “sacrifices” from the union.

Details of the proposed contract were not released. City and union negotiators are to meet Monday to hammer out final details. The results will then go to the union membership for a ratification vote and, if it passes, to a special city council session this week for a vote that would make it official.

It is clear the union had given up some job-security protections, bumping rights and other contract provisions targeted by the Ford administration.

The results will no doubt impact ongoing negotiations with more than 20,000 city workers — inside workers, library staff and community centre workers. The concessions will raise the likelihood of significant layoffs if the administration is free to proceed with more contracting out.

The contract that expired Dec. 31 prevented the city from laying off any permanent unionized staff as a result of contracting out or technological innovation. The union offered Thursday to remove that protection for workers with less than five years’ seniority.

The city replied with a demand that the protection apply only to those with 22 or more years’ service, among a host of contract concessions it threatened to unilaterally impose if the union didn't agree to a deal by 12:01 a.m. Sunday. That deadline was extended to 2 a.m. and then discarded as talks then proceeded through the night.

“Municipalities will pay attention to what's happening here,” said Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday. “I think taxpayers are the winners here ... Stand your ground and that's what we did and I guess the union did the same at a certain extent.”

Asked in an interview if the city had gained the operational flexibility it has long said it needs, Holyday said: “Yes. I think it has given us much more control over our workforce and will let us be more flexible and efficient, and I think it's a good contract for the union and the workers.

“It's in the best interests of all to ratify this contract as soon as possible.”

A bleary-eyed Ferguson told reporters at the Sheraton hotel around 8:30 a.m. that his members will be relieved not to face a strike or a lockout.

“We are extremely excited that in fact we were able to resolve this through direct negotiation and, quite frankly, my members are pleased that they will be able to continue to provide great public services to Toronto,” he said.

“We did it through tireless work,” Ferguson said, adding that the talks were likely among the toughest in Canadian labour history.

In a statement, he added: “Throughout the process we have provided the City with many efficiencies and creative solutions to extremely difficult problems. There is no doubt that our members are making sacrifices. We are going to keep working to finalize a deal that gives the city flexibility and affordability while still delivering great public services.”

Ferguson said he had felt that city negotiators didn’t want to make a deal.

“That has been proved wrong. They did want to get a deal after all.”

The administration went into the talks saying it intended to reverse too-generous contracts awarded in the past that prevented the municipal government — bigger than that of many provinces, with a $9.4 billion annual budget — from becoming more efficient and providing proper value for taxpayers.

Ford has said he wants to shrink the 50,000-strong workforce by about 7,000 positions. More than 1,100 workers classified as temporary face layoffs as a result of the recently passed 2012 operating budget.

http://www.thestar.com