City of Prince Albert inside workers on strike as impasse reached over wage hike

More than 100 inside employees of the City of Prince Albert, Sask., are on the picket line for the first time ever as of Monday morning.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 882, whose members work in city hall and entertainment and recreational facilities in various capacities, announced the strike after a months-long impasse with the city over wage negotiations.

"When negotiations started, everything seemed to be on course and completely normal," union vice-president Cara Stelmaschuk told CBC News. "Then, we hit the monetary discussions and we were offered a final offer and told to take it to our membership.

"We did — and our membership rejected that offer."

CUPE 882 members have been "working to rule" since Aug. 10 by refusing to train others and ignoring dress codes, the union said in a news release it issued Sunday.

But that escalated to a strike Monday — the first in the local's 70-year history, according to a news release CUPE issued Monday morning.

The members of CUPE 882 have been working without a contract since the previous collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of 2021, Stelmaschuk said.

Both parties entered collective bargaining negotiations last year and, according to Kiley Bear, director of corporate services for the City of Prince Albert, came to agreements on all non-monetary items. But the sticking point throughout the summer has been compensation.

The city offered a package with an 11 per cent general wage increase over four years, including a 17 per cent increase for the union's lowest-paid workers, such as concession employees and box office attendants, according to the city's website.

The general wage increase offered to CUPE Local 882 was also offered and approved by city employees out of scope of the union, the website says.

During a news conference Monday afternoon, Bear described the offer as one of the best among Saskatchewan cities, as well as Canada in general.

However, union members rejected that offer. CUPE Local 882 countered with a general wage increase of 12 per cent over four years, but says the city has stood firm on its offer.

The parties met informally last Thursday to discuss the issue and city representatives "left feeling we were on the same page," Bear said.

"We were up front about our limitations and what we had to work with," she said, and invited the union to submit another proposal.