Dispute centres on contracting out: CUPE
Wood Buffalo Housing (WBH) in Fort McMurray, Alta., served its 49 employees lock-out notice on May 6, meaning that as of May 10 at 4:30 pm, employees will be forced to hit the picket lines, said the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
“Wood Buffalo Housing wants to lay off groundskeepers, maintenance staff and housekeepers and replace them with minimum-wage contractors without benefits,” said Judy Collier, CUPE, Local 1505 president. “This is not about wages. This is about our members wanting to do what they were hired to do: Take care of residents and their homes.”
CUPE knows from past experience that contracting out doesn’t save any money, as most of the lost wages are still paid to the contractor, said Collier.
