New Westminster civic workers holding strike vote Monday

CUPE 387, the union representing around 750 civic workers in the City of New Westminster, says it will be holding a strike vote Monday.

The union, whose membership includes civilian workers at the New Westminster Police Department, says it is fighting for wage increases, improved benefits, modified work weeks, language around working from home, and job stability.

“After almost a full year of bargaining we still have not been able to negotiate a new collective agreement with the City, Library, and Police Board,” the union said in an update to members. “The employers have continually refused to engage in meaningful discussions about your key issues, and that has limited the progress we’ve been able to make towards a new contract.”

The union says it was contacted by its employer after it announced the strike vote.

“We spent Friday and Saturday bargaining directly with the employer,” it said. “With the outside negotiator not at the table, there was a shift in tone at the bargaining table and we were able to have some important progressive discussions about your key bargaining priorities.

“While we’ve made some progress, we still have not reached agreement on several key issues and there are significant barriers we need to address before reaching a deal.”

The union says the next bargaining session is scheduled for Tuesday.