The union representing County of Simcoe municipal and social services workers have reached a tentative labour agreement with the county today.
Members of CUPE 5820, who are office, technical and clerical workers, as well as community services workers, have been negotiating a deal with the county since last December.
The employees say they are looking for “fair wages that are in line with inflation and the increasing cost of living,” according to a statement on the union’s website.
The union’s strike date is set for Aug. 18 if no deal can be finalized.
“In the last hour or so, we reached a tentative agreement,” local union president Wendy Monsinger told BarrieToday by phone during a break in the negotiations on Friday.
The meeting started at 8:30 a.m., “and we’re not quite done yet. We are finalizing today,” she said.
When asked if they were happy with the tentative deal, Monsinger would only say “we’ve reached the point where we need to take it back to the membership for ratification, so it will be up to the members now.”
The union representatives are currently awaiting the draft of the minutes of settlement this afternoon.
“The memorandum of settlement will be signed once we get it. It’s just clerical right now,” Monsinger added.
The union says it will be taking the agreement terms to its members on Tuesday, Aug. 6 for a vote that night.
If the workers agree with the terms, the county could then ratify the deal and the labour issue will be settled.
If members do not agree to the terms, however, both parties will be in a legal strike or lockout position on Aug. 18, barring any further tentative agreements being agreed to.
Prior to Friday’s tentative agreement, the union stated the County of Simcoe was refusing to negotiate fair wages, and they
The union has said the county “continue(s) to lose workers to neighbouring counties who offer higher wages” and “this affects the quality of services that the county is able to provide to its residents.”
In a statement emailed to BarrieToday on Thursday, Jane Parr, the county's human resources director, said “county staff who are part of the CUPE collective agreement are valued employees and have important service and administrative roles at the county.
“We believe the county has provided a strong and fair offer to the union, which aligns with our sector and market conditions," she added. "While we are prepared for possible labour action, we are hopeful that scheduled negotiations will be successful and that a work stoppage among this group of employees can be avoided.”
