Today, Local 500 took decisive action to enforce the terms of our collective agreement against the City of Winnipeg’s plan to impose a mandatory 3.5 days of unpaid leave between Christmas 2014 and New Year’s Day. Furthermore, the City has directed Departments to not permit employees to book vacation between December 24 and December 31, 2014.
It is CUPE’s position that the City of Winnipeg cannot impose a mandatory 3.5 days of unpaid leave as proposed in the 2014 City of Winnipeg Operating budget. It is also the Union’s position that the City has violated the vacation clause of the collective agreement.
Therefore, the Union has filed a policy grievance on behalf of our members as a result of these actions.
“At a time when the city is spending millions of dollars on cost overruns for the new police headquarters, they are forcing rank-and-file city workers to take unpaid leave to help balance the city’s budget,” said Local 500 President Mike Davidson. “A lot of times these cost cutting measures backfire and they don’t end up with the projected savings. At the end of the day, it means citizens aren’t getting their needs met and work piles up.”
The Union is requesting that the City abandon its plan to implement and enforce a mandatory 3.5 days of unpaid leave on the members of CUPE Local 500. The Union is also requesting that the City consider and approve all vacation requests to take place during the period of December 24 to 31, 2014 based on operational requirements at the time of the request.
Local 500 will continue to use all means and resources necessary to enforce the collective agreement and protect the rights of our members. Please watch for further updates as more information becomes available.
Have you sent us your story?
We want to thank our members who have taken the time to submit their story about how the 3.5 days of unpaid leave would affect them. If you would like to share your story with us, please click here to use our on-line form. We look forward to hearing from you!
