Region presents ‘final offer’ to striking outside workers

The Region of Waterloo says the ball is now in the union’s court after CUPE local 1656 was presented what the Region is calling its ‘final offer’.

The two sides were back at the table Thursday, with Eric Bell, CUPE Communications, confirming that the two sides were meeting.

In a press release, the Region outlined the proposed deal.

“The offer includes a salary increase of almost 12 per cent to all positions over a three-year period, with a $1.00 per hour wage adjustment plus a 3.5 per cent increase, representing an average of 5 per cent increase in the first year. The wage increases are retroactive to January 1st, 2025,” it reads.

The release goes on to say the Region will undertake a market review for the skilled trades workers and that other enhancements would be coming in the future; things like banked overtime, shift premiums, meal allowances and stand-by rates.

The Region is calling this offer fair and competitive for employees and mindful of affordability for taxpayers.

CUPE has not yet publicly commented on the offer.

Meanwhile, the workers were back on the picket line, slowing the flow of buses leaving the Grand River Operations Centre in Kitchener Thursday morning.

Grand River Transit alerted the public of delays to service because of the picketers just after 8:30 a.m.

Those delays ended early Thursday afternoon.

On Wednesday, striking outside workers held a demonstration outside Regional Headquarters to “send Karen Redman and her council a message to honour the deal they made and end the strike” before the regular council meeting.

“It really goes to show that when it comes to management, it’s ‘raises for me, but not for thee,’” CUPE Local 1656 President Phil Dominas said in a press release. “How is it fair that there is an endless pool of money for managers, but when it comes to negotiating wages for their workers, the ones who actually do the work to keep the region running, they claim that there is no money?”

The union is highlighting “large salary increases” for the regional chair and department head positions in the last few years, contrasted with the region’s “refusal” to honour the deal they made with CUPE during negotiations.

According to CUPE Local 1656, at one point the Region of Waterloo offered a fair deal, only to retract that deal, sending an email with a subsequent offer for half of what was originally offered.

“I can confidently say that no members of CUPE 1656 have ever seen a double-digit salary increase in a single year, and that’s nowhere near what we’ve been asking for,” Dominas said.