MEDIA RELEASE: CUPE LOCAL 500 APPLAUDS LOCAL PURCHASING AND FAIR WAGE, QUESTIONS COMMITMENT
April 17, 2018 at 3:40 PM
WINNIPEG – On the same day that the city’s executive policy committee (EPC) moved forward with an admirable plan to move to local purchasing on more contracts, they contradicted it and voted to put 100 local workers out of a job to bring in a Toronto contractor to do the work.
“CUPE Local 500 supports local purchasing and using local work,” said Gord Delbridge, president of Local 500. “That is why we lobby at every opportunity to bring contracts in house, and have the work done by hard working City of Winnipeg workers.”
Local 500 President Gord Delbridge spoke at EPC telling them that local members feared for their jobs.
“We have people who don’t know what their future is going to be,” said Delbridge. “These are largely newcomers to Canada who are earning a fair wage, a living wage. It would be a shame to show them the door.”
EPC also voted to prepare a report to begin to ensure that all contractors doing work for the City of Winnipeg will pay their workers a fair wage.
“We support Winnipeg becoming a fair wage city,” said Delbridge. “This is a matter of principle, no city should want to pay its staff poverty wages.”
However, a notable exception was in the award of the Canada Fibers contract, which did not include a fair wage provision.
“We believe that the recycling contract should have included a fair wage provision,” said Delbridge “It’s a shame that the City of Winnipeg has locked in a ten year commitment without fair wages, right as they are moving to ensure that future contractors are paid fairly.”
The movement towards fair wages and the movement towards more local purchasing were overall seen as positive steps.
“Good jobs in Winnipeg means our economy will keep growing,” said Delbridge. “Our public services will be there to support that.”
CUPE Local 500 represents about 5,000 members including about 80 members at the Emterra Recycling Plant.
