The Region of Queens has reached a deal with its striking public works employees. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED 2:55 p.m. Thursday

The Region of Queens and its striking 38 public works employees have reached a deal.

Local 1928 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers voted 32-5 around 6 p.m. Wednesday to accept the region’s latest offer.

Jim Sponagle, the local’s business manager, told QCCR Wednesday night that it was hard to turn down.

“They came back with a financial offer that certainly we couldn’t overlook, couldn’t turn away. I felt it was a significant move from where we were,” he said.

“I think overwhelmingly (union members) were pretty happy with the deal.”

The main issues in negotiations were better wages, overtime protections and keeping temporary employees in the bargaining unit. The last contract expired March 31. The new contract runs from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2027.

The union said their members were some of the lowest paid municipal workers in Atlantic Canada.

They had been on strike since last Thursday, saying that the region’s latest offer wasn’t any better than the one members resoundingly rejected in mid-December.

Sponagle said the region improved its offer this week and it addressed much of the union’s concerns about wages. But he said the region said it needed the flexibility to call some employees in to work on weekends without paying overtime.

Sponagle said some members weren’t happy with that, but the majority supported the deal.

“At the end of the day, you can’t win every battle. … You can only do your best. I believe I left it all on the table and we couldn’t make any traction with that part of the agreement.”

About 20 supporters of the strikers showed up at Tuesday’s regional council meeting to urge councillors to tell the region’s negotiators to get back to the bargaining table and get a deal. That evening, the municipality gave the union a new offer.

Some family members of the workers told councillors they were ashamed of how the region’s negotiators had treated the employees.

“I think it had a significant impact,” Sponagle said. “The public put pressure on the mayor and council to do their job.”

It’s a three-year deal retroactive to March 31, with the first year giving raises to all members of $4 an hour or more, with 2.5 per cent increases in the second and third years of the deal.

Council ratified the deal in a closed-door session on Thursday morning. Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR that he was grateful the deal was reached.

“These folks have historically been underpaid and our council is pleased to be able to sign a deal with wages that reflect the value that these folks have for our organization and the importance of them to be able to receive a living wage and support their families and themselves.”

Christian read a statement at a short council meeting after the deal was ratified. He said that while he was happy with the deal, he was also upset by some of the comments people made about the region’s managers online.

“I’m unsettled by a number of public allegations and unsubstantiated claims and personal attacks towards some of the region’s employees,” he said.

“
Everyone in our community deserves to be respected, everyone in this organization deserves to be respected, and as your mayor, I need to ensure that all employees, including non-unionized staff and management of this organization, receive that respect, specifically, our (acting) CAO Pam Lovelace and our director of engineering and public works Adam Grant received an incredible amount of personal attacks throughout the later stages of this process as it became contentious.

“I won’t stand in silence as any employee of this organization, including my fellow councillors, are harassed, attacked or bullied.”

Christian said some comments were “pretty intense personal attacks”, with some people calling for Lovelace and Grant to be fired.

As talks broke down, tensions increased, with union members’ supporters pressuring councillors to step in and direct their negotiators to get a deal done.

Some supporters at Tuesday’s meeting were upset by comments made by Lovelace about the union refusing to return to the bargaining table. They were also upset that she tried to downplay the number of employees on strike.

“But there are going to be tough times, there are going to be unpopular decisions, there are going to be mistakes made,” Christian told QCCR, “and we all need to do better and the organization needs to do better to make sure that those appropriate channels are in place so that if there are frustrations and complaints and grievances within our community that there are good established channels to address those things.”

The region is still claiming that temporary employees are not members of the bargaining unit. The union’s unfair labour practices complaints about that are still outstanding. Dates have not been set yet for that hearing.

Christian said he believes most employees will be back on the job by Monday. And he said the region plans to hire experts to help address those tensions, calm things down and ensure that all employees return to a supportive workplace.

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Striking public works employees with the Region of Queens were back on the picket line Tuesday in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)

Supporters of striking Region of Queens workers blasted elected councillors on Tuesday, demanding that they show some leadership in the dispute.

They want the mayor and councillors to tell the region’s negotiators to return to the bargaining table and settle the strike.

Thirty-eight members of Local 1928 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have been on the picket line since Thursday. The union says they are some of the lowest-paid municipal workers in Atlantic Canada.

The region does not dispute that, but says it’s been trying to address those inequities in contract negotiations that have been going on for about a year.

RELATED: Region of Queens workers strike for better wages, overtime protection

Some positions pay less than $18 an hour, with some people on Tuesday saying that they can’t afford to support their families.

Family and friends of the striking public works employees told councillors at their regular meeting on Tuesday that they were ashamed of how the region has treated the workers. Elected officials do not get involved directly with labour negotiations, but can set the tone for the region’s negotiators.

Wages, overtime protections and even who’s in or out of the bargaining unit are the main sticking points in the dispute.

Meghan MacAdams was one of the people who spoke to council during the public presentation portion of the meeting. As striking workers picketed outside, she read out the names of the 36 employees.

Her partner has worked with the region for six years. In a recent CBC story, the region’s acting CAO Pam Lovelace claimed that only 20 employees were affected.

“Here is the individual handpicked by you all, acting as a representative of your side of the line, sharing inaccurate information,” MacAdams told councillors.

“
Was this an attempt to create a calmer narrative in which this issue was smaller than it really is, or is this simply a demonstration of how uninterested and uninvested the region has become in its workforce? What that one tiny detail told me, intentionally stated or not, is that those who run our county either can’t be trusted to provide us with truthful and accurate information, or they have become so disconnected with their employees they aren’t even aware of how many livelihoods they are toying with.

“Neither of these options sit well with me. 
Unfortunately, I see this as a clear indication of just how undervalued these men have become, which is one of the key issues in my opinion that has brought us to the divide we are at today. But I remain hopeful the region, the powers that be, will step up and make a fair and honest attempt at resolution. Our men deserve better.”

Debbie Wamboldt, a longtime community advocate and volunteer who spearheaded the successful fundraising drive for the popular inclusive play park in Liverpool, also expressed her frustration with the stalled talks. 

“Most of you know me from the play park project,” she said.

“That took six years of my life to bring to this county because I was proud of where I come from. … But I have to say that I’m standing here before you as somebody who is no longer proud of where I come from. 
I’m not proud of where we’re standing.

“My husband has worked for the region for 20 years. We give our time to this community, and our community is standing behind us. And it’s your job now  to stand behind us. 
We need to get back to the table, and our workers, my family, my friends, my husband’s colleagues, deserve better.

“This is shameful. This is really shameful.”

Before the strike, the region and the union had been negotiating to adjust job classifications and wage grids to bring Queens workers’ salaries more in line with other municipalities.

The region had commissioned a compensation review of unionized and non-unionized positions more than a year ago. That review has never been made public. 

But in response, the previous council had agreed to boost salaries for some non-unionized positions.

Mayor Scott Christian says the wage parity study was the foundation for the region’s offer in the latest contract talks.

The region says adjusting salaries for some jobs would result in raises from 2.5 to 26 per cent. But talks stalled in mid-December after the region’s so-called final offer. About 97 per cent of employees voted for strike action.

Both sides met again last Tuesday with a provincially appointed conciliator. But union representative Jim Sponagle said the region’s offer hadn’t improved much from the one members had rejected. He said their wage offer amounted to about two per cent a year on top of adjusting for wage inequities.

Christian released a video on Facebook on Sunday, saying that he understands how challenging negotiations have been for employees and their families. He appealed for patience.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Christian and the rest of council were due to get an update on negotiations in a closed-door session. Before that, he said in an interview that councillors want a fair deal for workers, but one that doesn’t burden taxpayers.

He also said not all councillors have seen the wage review study, which he wants to be made public. 

“I think it should be. It was something that I was very frustrated with before I ended up in this position as a resident that that wasn’t made publicly available. And so, I’m going to be asking our our staff here. and directing our staff here as to what elements or if that can be released, in in its entirety. We’ve seen we’ve seen portions of it. … There’s going to be more of that information provided to council today.

“To be honest, I’m not that comfortable with some of the tactics that have been employed by both sides of the negotiation. I feel like it has escalated and has become more contentious than it ought to have. … We’re going to be looking for direction from council as to (how) to de-escalate this, to get back to meaningful, productive conversations.

“We need both sides to come back to the table and with some humility, I think, and a willingness to concede and find a productive way forward. I agree the tone, the nature, the spirit of the thing has become really contentious and I’m not comfortable with it. I am going to meet with council and we’re going to … determine what we think is the appropriate next step with respect to directing the negotiating team moving forward.”

The striking workers are responsible for maintaining the region’s streets, sidewalks, parks and other properties. They also work in waste and recycling facilities as well as water and sewage treatment plants.

Their last contract expired March 31. 

The region has said that services won’t be interrupted by the strike, with managers, supervisors and third-party contractors doing the work.

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Unionized workers with the Region of Queens went on strike Thursday morning. (Rick Conrad photo)

UPDATED THURSDAY, 4:45 P.M.

Engineering and public works employees with the Region of Queens are on strike.

About 40 members of Local 1928 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers set up picket lines at three locations in Liverpool on Thursday morning.

The workers are responsible for maintaining the region’s streets, sidewalks, parks and other properties. They also work in waste and recycling facilities as well as water and sewage treatment plants.

The union and the region have been negotiating for about a year. Their last contract expired March 31. 

Jim Sponagle is the business manager of Local 1928. He was on the picket line this morning with some members near the Hank Snow Museum in Liverpool.

“There are still three outstanding issues: being forced to work weekends for straight time, no overtime, that’s one big issue. Wages still nowhere where they need to be. Wages are lower than any other municipality, jurisdiction in Atlantic Canada.

“The temporary employees are still an issue. I call it a union-busting measure where the employer has tried to carve out a work group from our collective agreement that have been in our collective agreement for decades. I don’t understand their position other than the fact that maybe they could deem them non-union and have them perform our work during a strike.”

Sponagle said both sides were back at the bargaining table on Tuesday, but he said the region’s offer hadn’t improved much from the one that members resoundingly rejected in December.

Members voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action. They have been in a legal strike position since Dec. 11.

“From our last strike mandate, the only change was they offered a half a per cent on Year 2 and a half a per cent on Year 3” of a new contract, Sponagle said.

The region issued a news release Thursday morning, saying that it filed a lockout notice with the province’s labour minister in response to the strike.

The region said all municipal services will continue as usual, including garbage collection and snow plowing.

Pam Lovelace, the acting CAO for the Region of Queens, told QCCR on Thursday that the strike took her by surprise.

“I was not informed in any way there was going to be a strike today,” Lovelace said.

“Although knowing that the union members and their leadership wouldn’t meet with us at the table on Tuesday to actually negotiate with a provincial conciliator, that was a good indication that they weren’t willing to reach a deal.”

A provincially appointed conciliator is a disinterested third party who will sometimes meet with both parties together, or meet with each side individually and communicate proposals back and forth. Each labour negotiation is unique and the conciliator generally gets a feel for whether it would be productive for both sides to meet face to face with the conciliator present.

Lovelace says that in this case, union negotiators refused to meet with the region and the conciliator together, and would meet only with the conciliator.

“And so because of that we weren’t actually able to have effective negotiations, we had to use the middle man of the conciliator rather than having constructive conversations.”

Union members are some of the lowest paid municipal employees in Atlantic Canada, at a time when regional councillors and senior staff have complained it’s difficult to fill job vacancies.

Some unionized jobs at the region pay less than $18 an hour. And some Red Seal-certified mechanics and technicians with the region make no more than $27 an hour, compared to $40 an hour in other jurisdictions. 

Both sides were working on adjusting wage grids to alleviate some of those discrepancies. But the union’s Sponagle said there still hasn’t been enough movement from the region. Their latest proposal amounted to a two per cent raise in each year of a deal, he said.

Sponagle said his members want to get back to work. But they also want a deal that keeps pace with what municipal employees in other places are making.

“I dealt with other jurisdictions in P.E.I. when the employer understood. When they came with a fair wage increase it was hard to say no. It just seems this employer doesn’t want to work with the union. But somebody doesn’t like unions here at the Region of Queens.

“This is the first time since 1973 that I’m aware of IBEW Local 1928 going on strike. It’s not something we typically do. We like to do our work, we don’t complain and we go home.”

The union is still waiting to have hearing dates set for its unfair labour practice complaint against the region. It alleges that the region told some members that they still had to come to work in the event of a work stoppage or risk being fired. 

Lovelace said the region is looking for a fair deal and to get employees back to work. But that’s only if the union is willing to return to the bargaining table.

“I’m already at the table, I’m waiting for IBEW Local 1928 to arrive at the table. And we will continue to operate and the services that the residents expect and hopefully we will see the leadership of Local 1928 come back to the table.”

Lovelace said managers, supervisors and third-party contractors would make sure that services aren’t interrrupted.

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Road work in Liverpool in June 2020. File photo by Ed Halverson

Contract talks between the Region of Queens and its unionized public works employees are at a stalemate as either side could declare a work stoppage at midnight.

Local 1928 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents about 40 full-time and temporary employees in the region’s engineering and public works department.

They are responsible for maintaining the region’s streets, sidewalks, parks and other properties. They also work in waste and recycling facilities as well as water and sewage treatment plants.

The two sides met with a conciliator on Monday, with the union submitting a new proposal. The region responded about five hours later, with very little movement from their last position, according to a union representative.

Union members resoundingly rejected the region’s settlement offer last Monday, with a 97 per cent vote in favour of strike action if needed.

“It equated to very little to nothing,” James Sponagle, business manager for Local 1928, said of the municipality’s revised offer.

“We’re at an impasse right now and unless they change their position, the union’s not going to concede. We’ve already voted on what they presented. They haven’t come back with anything substantive, so our position hasn’t changed.”

As of midnight Tuesday, either side could declare a strike or lockout with 48 hours’ notice.

Regional councillors got an update on negotiations on Tuesday in a closed-door session that lasted almost 90 minutes.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR afterward that the region doesn’t want to lock out its employees. 

“At this time, we have no intent to lock out the workers,” Christian said.

“We remain hopeful and we recognize that it’s really challenging for people particularly with the holidays approaching to have this uncertainty. Also recognizing it’s really challenging also for the folks on the other side of the bargaining table, our managers, who are attempting to negotiate on behalf of Region of Queens Municipality. 

“We hold out hope that there will be a resolution before too long. Our council remains committed to a good and fair deal for everybody.”

Sponagle said the region has handcuffed the union’s ability to back up its proposals with strike action. He says they’ve threatened to fire the 14 temporary employees if they don’t cross a picket line.

The union has filed two unfair labour practice complaints over that threat. Sponagle says hearing dates should be set next week and he hopes for a hearing early in the new year.

He said CAO Cody Joudry assured employees in a meeting last Friday they would not be fired. But Sponagle says he hasn’t yet put that in writing.

Sponagle said it would be “reckless” for him to call a strike as long as those temporary employees could be fired.

Public works employees with the Region of Queens are some of the lowest-paid municipal workers in Nova Scotia, at a time when the municipality has complained that it can’t fill job vacancies.

Some unionized jobs at the region pay less than $18 an hour. And Sponagle said that some Red Seal-certified technicians with the region make no more than $27 an hour. 

Non-unionized technicians elsewhere with the same certification make as much as $40 an hour, while their unionized peers at Nova Scotia Power get paid about $50 an hour.

“There’s not much incentive to work as a Red Seal technician at the Region of Queens,” Sponagle said.

Christian and Sponagle said both sides are trying to agree to wage grid adjustments to account for those discrepancies. But Sponagle said the region has offered increases of only 1.5 per cent a year after that.

No new talks are scheduled. But Sponagle says the union is always willing to return to the bargaining table as long as the region improves their last offer.

“If they want to reach out to the union if they have an epiphany or if they have a change in their position, my phone’s always on.”

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Unionized employees at the Region of Queens have voted to strike, if necessary. (Rick Conrad)

Engineering and public works employees with the Region of Queens have voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action.

The workers are responsible for maintaining the region’s streets, sidewalks, parks and other properties. They also work in waste and recycling facilities as well as water and sewage treatment plants.

The 36 members of Local 1928 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers voted on the region’s settlement offer on Monday. Thirty-five of 36 members rejected it, voting in favour of strike action if needed.

James Sponagle, the business manager of Local 1928, said the two sides are set to return to the bargaining table with a government-appointed conciliator next Monday.

In the meantime, the union has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration. 

That concerns the region’s definition of temporary employees. Sponagle says the employer has told those employees they must cross a picket line in the event of a work stoppage.

The union says they are union members and cannot be forced to work during a strike or lockout.

“They’re going to take our union members and they’ll force them to do bargaining unit work,” Sponagle said.

“If they don’t, they’ll fire them, is what they’ve been told.”

Sponagle said the union offered not to file its strike notice if the region also held off on its lockout notice until the unfair labour practice complaint is resolved.

He said the region rejected that proposal.

Sponagle said the region’s last offer didn’t satisfy union members’ main concerns. 

The IBEW members are some of the lowest-paid municipal workers in Nova Scotia. They’re seeking closer wage parity with other municipal employees in places like Shelburne and Bridgewater. And they want to protect overtime provisions for weekend work.

Mayor Scott Christian said this week that he’s hopeful a deal can be reached. The mayor and councillors get updates on negotiations, but they are not directly involved.

“We certainly value the union members, the public works employees, they’re really valuable members of the organization. We want to make sure there is a fair and good deal in place for these folks.”

The union’s last collective agreement expired in March. In that deal, which was signed in 2020, employees received raises of two per cent a year. The next year, the region gave its non-unionized staff a four per cent raise.

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Brian Anthony, left, vice-president of Local 18 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, stands with fellow union members on the picket line outside the Main Street post office in Liverpool on Monday. (Rick Conrad)

Canada Post workers were back on the picket line on Monday in Liverpool hopeful that a deal can be reached to get them back to work.

About 20 members of Local 18 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers were outside the post office on Main Street as cars honked their support.

Brian Anthony is the vice-president of Local 18. He told QCCR that four days into the strike, morale is high.

“We’re here until we get an agreement. Resonse has been good. We’ve got a good turnout here and a good response from the cars driving by. We had a guy stop by and give us some donuts and coffee today. I think the public understands that we all just need a fair deal.”

More than 55,000 Canada Post employees went on strike across the country on Friday. The Bridgewater-based Local 18 covers Hubbards to Shelburne and has about 60 members.

Union members say they want fair wages to keep pace with inflation, safe working conditions, pension protections and better benefits. 

Canada Post’s latest offer included pay raises of 11.5 per cent over four years and a pledge to preserve the defined benefit pension plan for current employees.

A special federal mediator met with both sides on Monday. But Canada Post said they remain far apart on the major issues. 

On the Liverpool picket line on Monday morning, Anthony said workers are hoping for a short walkout, but they’re prepared to stick it out.

“We don’t want to lose what we already have. We’re hoping there’ll be a settlement sometime soon. I think we’re optimistic. Everyone is still in good spirits. We’re hoping for a short strike for sure.”

Mail service is suspended during the strike. But Canada Post and the union have assured people that government cheques will still be delivered.

Workers plan to be on the picket lines in Liverpool from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

2018 was the last time there was a work stoppage at Canada Post. The rotating strikes lasted 31 days before the federal government stepped in an legislated employees back to work.

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QCCR acknowledges the support of the Community Radio Fund of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.

Ryan Lutes is the president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. (Nova Scotia Teachers Union YouTube channel)

The 10,000 members of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union have ratified a new contract with the province.

The deal was reached on April 26. Some 91 per cent of members voted on the contract on May 22. And 80.5 per cent voted to accept it. 

“This agreement contains several important gains for teachers, and while it doesn’t address all the challenges our schools are facing, it is a fair agreement that serves as a solid stepping stone to future progress,” NSTU president Ryan Lutes said in a news release this week.

“This would not have been possible without the strength and solidarity members demonstrated when they provided the bargaining team with an overwhelming strike mandate earlier this spring.”

The agreement includes an 11.47 per cent salary increase over three years for full-time teachers. Substitute teachers will also get an extra 12 per cent raise and will require eight fewer days to qualify as a full-time teacher.

Teachers will also be getting more time for marking and preparation. Beginning Aug. 1, they will have a minimum of 15 per cent of instructional time for marking and classroom prep.

The number of school counsellors will also increase. And the Nova Scotia government has guaranteed that neither class sizes nor the school day will increase for the term of the contract.

The teachers’ previous contract expired last July 31. The salary increases are retroactive to Aug. 1 of last year. 

Premier Tim Houston speaks to reporters on Thursday about an agreement with Nova Scotia teachers. (Nova Scotia government Facebook page)

Nova Scotia will likely avoid a teachers’ strike as government and union negotiators reached an “agreement in principle” late Wednesday night.

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union entered conciliation talks with government negotiators on Monday and Tuesday with a 98 per cent strike mandate. More than 10,000 teachers and educational specialists voted last Thursday to go on strike if an agreement couldn’t be reached.

Teachers are concerned about rising levels of violence in schools, teacher recruitment and retention, and compensation for substitute and permanent teachers.

Premier Tim Houston joined the talks himself on Monday night. 

Houston told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Thursday that he believes the agreement addresses many of the union’s concerns.

“I think it’s an agreement that teachers can be proud of,” he said.

“I did personally attend the bargaining table late on Monday evening and tried to make it clear at that point that we heard the voices of teachers and the NSTU and that this government shares their focus on students, student outcomes and classroom conditions. I think teachers will see significant investments in these areas in the agreement. It’s an agreement that responds to the call that students can’t wait. … Our government has great respect for teachers and our focus was on reaching a deal that was fair to teachers and ensured improved classroom conditions for students and teachers.”

Ryan Lutes, president of the teachers union, said in an interview Thursday that the premier’s presence at the bargaining table seemed to move things along.

“The premier was helpful,” Lutes said.

“Up until that point, I would say our negotiating team saw very little movement on the issues that mattered to teachers and students. The premier shared his commitment to improving classroom conditions, to improving work-life balance for teachers and his desire to invest in public schools, and I think that spurred his team along into eventually getting an agreement with teachers.”

So far, it’s only a verbal agreement. Lead negotiators for both sides are still hammering out the language. As soon as the union’s bargaining team sees and signs off on the document, they can call it a tentative agreement.

Lutes said it will likely take another week or two before teachers see something they can vote on. Details won’t be released until that happens.

“I don’t believe the premier would have spurred along his own negotiating team without the strong strike mandate. I think our members were really important. The message came through with the strong strike mandate that members aren’t going to accept an agreement that doesn’t move their priorities forward. And I think the premier heard that. He was able to pretty positively contribute to that discussion on Monday night.”

The premier said his government shares teachers’ concerns about classroom and working conditions. 

“We knew the importance of the negotiations for sure. That was never diminished and that was never a second thought in our mind. So we’re really happy that we’ve been able to reach the agreement in principle. When it’s all said and done, this is an agreement that teachers can be proud of and I’m optimistic about the path forward from here.”

The government and NSTU have been negotiating since last June. Their last contract expired July 31, 2023.

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