City workers are poised to strike Thursday. How will it impact Edmontonians?
CBC
A strike that could see thousands of city workers walk off the job Thursday will have sweeping effects on on the daily business of city hall and municipal services offered to Edmontonians.
More than 5,000 of the city's front-line, administrative and clerical workers — along with around 680 staff from Edmonton's public libraries — are preparing to strike at 11 a.m. Thursday.
From dispatchers and front desk clerks to planners and accountants, the people preparing to picket serve in a staggering variety of jobs under the city's purview — and their absence will be felt by Edmontonians.
City officials have promised to keep most critical departments running but Edmonton's labour dispute with Civic Service Union (CSU) 52 members has already begun to cause disruptions.
The full impact to services is not yet known but the strike is expected to impact operations at Edmonton's recreation facilities, city attractions, the 311 complaints service — just to name a few.
Tuesday evening, the city announced several service disruptions at recreation centres and city attractions, beginning on Thursday.
"All City of Edmonton attractions will be closed to the general public with the exception of pre-arranged bookings and rentals," the city news release said.
Pre-booked spaces including arenas, pools, gyms, and classes such as registered Learn to Swim and Aquatic and Safety Certification programs, will continue.
All other services will be unavailable, including front desk customer service, refunds and cancellations and "any spontaneous or drop-in programming, including arts programs, fitness centres."
All drop-in and registered programs at parks, attractions, arts, and heritage facilities are cancelled during the disruption, the city said.
These include school field trips at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Muttart Conservatory, John Janzen Nature Centre, John Walter Museum and City Arts Centre.
On Monday, Edmonton Public Library announced that all 21 branches will close when the strike begins.
All programs, classes, events and services will be cancelled over the next week, with more cancellations possible as the situation evolves, library management said in a statement.
Digital library services will remain available online but people who have books or other items on loan are asked to keep them at home until the libraries reopen. All due dates are extended and no late fees will be charged.
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