Civic Service Union leader explains deal with City of Edmonton

With the City of Edmonton and the Civic Service Union 52 (CSU) reached a tentative new deal to avoid a strike on Thursday, the City is being tight lipped on the deal, while the union head says the union compromised more.

Union president Lanny Chudyk told media Friday morning that a last-minute meeting with the mayor earlier this week didn’t move negotiations along, it was an effort lead by the City’s Southwest councillor Tim Cartmell that brought both parties back to the bargaining table late Wednesday, on the eve of a strike that would have seen several thousand of city workers walk off the job.

Both parties, the union members, City employees on their side, taking them off the job was not in anybody’s best interest,” said Chudyk.

CityNews reached out to both Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, and Cartmell for comment, however, both offices say that while the deal has yet to be ratified, they won’t comment on it.

Union members have yet to vote on the deal, but Chudyk is confident it will pass.

The deal sees CSU 52 employees get a lump sum of $1,000 dollars for 2021, after initially asking for 1.5 per cent raise. A 1.25 per cent increase for 2022, originally asking for 1.5. A 2 per cent for 2023, which was what was asked for. And 3 per cent for 2024.

“I feel at the end of the process CSU compromised a bit more than the City. If the City had come to the table in the spirit of real negotiations, and kicked things around, at the end of the negotiation, neither party walks away completely satisfied. I just hope neither party walks away completely dissatisfied,” said Chudyk.

One thing weighing on negotiations Chudyk claims was the potential of the province ordering striking workers back to work. CSU 52 covers 911 operators, some edmonton police staff, and library workers among many others.

CityNews reached out the province for comment, in a statement the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade said, “The minister would only intervene in labour disputes with the tools available in the Labour Relations Code. We are pleased to hear that CSU 52 and the city of Edmonton have reached tentative agreements and that the minister never had to consider any action.”

But with union members seeing a wage increase, the question now becomes how much will Edmontonians pay for it. The City not commenting Friday, but Chudyk says he kept that in mind during negotiations. He and union members are taxpayers too, dealing with the same economic and financial realities as everyone.

“In over half a decade, you have to expect that your wages are going to go up, lord knows council increases their wages on a regular basis, while they ask people to tighten their belts and sacrifice, well that guy who’s using the food bank, and whose rent is going up $500 has no more room to tighten his belt.”