Inside and outside municipal workers for the Town of Kearney will meet to bargain for the first time since April.
The town is an hour's drive south of North Bay on Highway 11,
Kearney’s municipal workers, represented by CUPE 1813, have been without a contract since May 2023.
"The last scheduled meeting was April 30th, 2024, which the employer abruptly cancelled. CUPE 1813’s bargaining team concluded that the only way forward was to request help for conciliation from the Ministry of Labour," says a CUPE news release.
“The employer has been dragging its heels for over a year and a half. It’s sad, but we have no choice. It’s the only thing we can do to get this uncooperative employer back to the table,” says local union president Rebecca Madrid.
“To date, we’ve had incredible community support. Kearney is a small, close-knit town, and residents depend on vital municipal services. However, mismanagement, poor planning, and understaffing make it impossible to deliver these services reliably. Residents deserve better.”
