A labour dispute between the City of Corner Brook and civic centre workers escalated this week after conciliation talks broke down and the city locked out employees, prompting a rally of more than 200 people outside city hall.
The 24 workers, 11 full-time and 13 part-time, are represented by CUPE Local 4386. Union president Craig Gardner said the lowest wage in the bargaining unit is currently $18.16 an hour, which he said is not enough to live on. He said some workers at the centre have had to give up their apartments because they could not afford rent.
What Each Side Is Offering
The union had been seeking a 22 per cent wage increase over four years, an amount Gardner said was based on an increase previously given to another city union. The city has offered a 12 per cent increase over four years, made up of a 10 per cent increase plus an additional two per cent through adjustments to base wage rates for all bargaining unit employees.
Gardner said that during conciliation on Oct. 19, the union revised its proposal downward, bringing the total package to under 19 per cent, after what he described as productive late-day discussions with the city and a conciliator.
From Optimism to Lockout
Gardner said the union left Monday’s conciliation session feeling optimistic, telling members to keep working while another meeting was expected the next morning. The city said Monday evening that the conciliation discussions had been positive and that it looked forward to a mutually beneficial agreement.
However, workers were locked out on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The city said it had asked CUPE for at least 24 hours’ notice of any strike action, but the union did not provide that commitment. Citing health and safety risks as well as risks to the facility’s heating and cooling systems, the city said it had no choice but to proceed with the lockout.
Gardner questioned the city’s reasoning, saying the union would not have walked out and risked damage to the building, which he called the workers’ livelihood. The weekend prior, with the union having voted in favour of strike action, the city suspended on-ice activities and began removing ice from the centre’s two rinks, warning that all operations could be suspended as early as Oct. 19 if labour action proceeded.
Living Wage and Community Impact
At the rally, members from other CUPE locals, NAPE, UNIFOR, the Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador, and members of the public turned out in support. CUPE NL president Sherry Hillier addressed the crowd, saying the workers deserve what she called a decent living wage.
The living wage in Corner Brook is currently estimated at $24.40 an hour. Under the city’s current offer, the lowest wage at the centre would reach just over $20 an hour by 2029, which Hillier noted would remain below the current living wage estimate.
The lockout also led to the cancellation of the nurses’ union’s annual convention, which had been scheduled to take place at the civic centre this week. RNUNL president Yvette Coffey said her union had budgeted over $800,000 for the convention, which has since moved to Marble Mountain. Coffey said that money could have covered the wage increase sought for the civic centre workers for at least one year, and noted that the convention brings revenue into the city through accommodations, meals and entertainment.
Gardner said the union remains willing to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a new collective agreement.
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