“The offer is not satisfactory. Clearly, it does not suit the members. By rejecting it by 89%, they gave us the mandate to return to negotiate,” says Patricia Larouche, president of the Union of Civil Servants of the City of Trois-Rivières (CUPE 3423).
A negotiation which will resume sooner rather than later, since the Union intends to present a counter-proposal on Wednesday. A negotiation blitz is also planned for next week.
But if the impasse persists, a strike will be seriously considered.
“It’s going to be a strike. In any case, we are heading towards that. Our members are behind us. They are fed up and they said it quite loudly.”
— Patricia Larouche, president of the Civil Servants Union of the City of Trois-Rivières
Presumably, it won’t be a work stoppage of a few hours. “It’s going to be significant. We can’t just do a half-day or a day of strike. That would do absolutely nothing.”
The pension plan is the main sticking point. “What’s really wrong is the pension system. People took the plunge,” says Ms. Larouche.
She also criticizes the attitude of the employer. “He didn’t give us the option to negotiate. Absolutely not. […] When he submitted his offer, he told us: “We don’t want to hear what you think, we want you to present it to your members, because we think they will be happy”. Maybe the employer thought we were not in tune with our members, but clearly we are.”
Some 355 white-collar workers voted in this secret vote. The Union has not made any recommendations to its members.
White-collar workers have been without a collective agreement since January 1, 2023. They voted 94% in favor of a pressure tactics mandate that could go as far as a strike, last October.
The Union of Civil Servants of the City of Trois-Rivières has approximately 520 members. They include support employees (secretaries, clerks, emergency dispatchers, etc.), technicians (in civil engineering, industrial engineering, etc.) and professionals (urban planners, engineers, etc.).
City reaction
In a written communication, the City of Trois-Rivières said it was surprised by the result of the vote on its overall offer. “Since September, a mediation process has been initiated to advance negotiations and resolve several disputes, particularly regarding salaries. The City of Trois-Rivières considers that the offer presented is comparable, or even superior, to the conditions obtained elsewhere.”
An agreement is within reach, according to her. She says she is returning “to the negotiating table in good faith and assures that she will continue to collaborate fully in the process.”
Blue-collar workers will also find themselves without a collective agreement from January 1.
