Picket lines will be up today (June 14) at the District of Sechelt as unionized workers strike in search of a "fair deal."
"We have 45 members in a legal strike position Friday at noon," said Evan Stewart, media spokesperson for the BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU) that covers the District employees. "No talks are scheduled, although the BCGEU is certainly prepared to get back to the negotiating table and figure out a way to get through this impasse."
Sechelt Mayor John Henderson said the impasse is centred on workers' desire for more days off each year.
He said the District can't afford to grant that request or to raise wages any more than what's already been offered.
"We have to reduce the cost of government and there's just no ifs, ands or buts. If we don't do that the operation of the District of Sechelt is unsustainable over the long term," he said.
Local union rep Judith Steele said vacation time is not an issue for the District's unionized employees, although she wouldn't talk about their specific concerns to the media.
"We're going to stay on the high road and keep it respectful," she said. "We just want a fair deal."
Union and District representatives came to a tentative agreement for a new contract on May 9, but the membership rejected the deal and on May 27 voted 93 per cent in favour of striking.
They gave their official 72-hour strike notice on June 11, after failing to reach an agreement with the help of a BC Labour Relations Board mediator on June 7.
Unionized staff has been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2012. Members work in areas of public works, parks, engineering and development services, finance, bylaw enforcement and corporate services.
Sechelt's chief of innovation and growth Ron Buchhorn said the strike won't affect Sechelt's ability to take tax payments from the public during this busy time of year.
"Management personnel will be available to serve the public with tax payments and normal course of business in the municipal office," Buchhorn said. "Essential services will ensure that the RCMP and the sewage treatment plant continue to be staffed. Parks will probably be the most impacted by the dispute due to the lack of resources available to maintain to the current standards."
He noted no new public works projects would be taken on during the strike.
The library sits within the municipal building, and it may be affected by the strike, although the District doesn't employ any unionized workers there.
"We do not intend to impact the library services, but another union, CUPE, represents the workers in the library and they may have a decision to make in terms of crossing the picket line," Evans noted.
Shortly after strike notice was served, three unionized employees were laid off in public works and parks "in recognition that if the strike goes forward, obviously we won't need those people," Henderson said. "We don't know how long the strike will go, so this was a decision of management, not council, because it's a decision that's made by management. They felt this was the right course of action, and while I wasn't involved in the decision, I support it."
