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.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below

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.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below

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

Nova Scotia teachers and educational specialists have voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action, on the eve of conciliation talks with the Nova Scotia government. 

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union released the results Thursday evening of the provincewide electronic vote by 10,313 NSTU members.

Ryan Lutes is the teachers union president. He called the strike vote a “resounding wakeup call to government.”

“The potential of job action is not something that teachers take lightly,” he said in a video statement posted to the NSTU website.

“Nobody wants a strike. But teachers are frustrated by rapidly declining conditions inside our schools and by government’s lack of attention to provide safe and healthy learning environments for students.”

Negotiations began last June.

Lutes said teachers would prefer not to strike, but they will take job action unless the Nova Scotia government addresses their concerns. 

In a union survey by 2,534 members in March and April 2023, 55 per cent said they had been the victim of a violent act or threat at work, while 92 per cent said that they’d witnessed violence “first-hand at school.” Nova Scotia’s auditor general is investigating the issue of school violence. 

A union survey of 3,519 members in February found that 84 per cent of teachers have considered leaving the profession in the past five years because of burnout, high workload, lack of resources, lack of respect from government and concerns about school violence.

“Teachers want to see an end to the escalating levels of violence they and their students are experiencing,” Lutes said.

“They want to see resources allocated to help solve the mental health crisis inside our schools. They want to see a plan to eliminate the teacher shortage that focuses on retention and ensures our substitutes aren’t amongst the lowest paid in Canada. And teachers want the government to come to the table and be prepared to negotiate a fair contract in the best interest of students and teachers but so far that just hasn’t been the case.”

The union has not revealed what kind of a salary increase they’re seeking. According to Statistics Canada, the median hourly wage for secondary school teachers in Nova Scotia in 2022 was $41.76. The national median hourly wage was $45.30.

Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia’s minister of education and early childhood development, said in a statement released Thursday evening that she is disappointed by the vote result, but not surprised.

“Teachers were put in the difficult position today of voting while bargaining is ongoing and before they know what is on the table,” Druhan said.

“Today I want to reassure parents that the outcome of this vote has no impact on school operations and does not trigger a strike. This vote is only a distraction that has caused confusion and anxiety for students and their families.”

Lutes said the union has shared the government’s opening offer with teachers. He said their offer has gotten worse since negotiations began.

“It’s time to fix our schools, and our kids deserve better. It’s my sincere wish that government will see the results and come back to the table prepared to engage in meaningful discussions.”

Druhan said the province is committed to getting a deal done while keeping teachers and students in school.

“The government’s energy remains focused on working toward a negotiated agreement on the terms and conditions of teachers’ employment during our next meetings with the NSTU.”

Negotiators for the government and the union return to the table on Monday and Tuesday with the help of a provincial conciliator.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com