The Region of Waterloo says they’ve reached out to the union representing 240 of its workers, who have been on strike since Monday.
The announcement was made in a press release issued on Friday afternoon.
CTV News spoke with two members of CUPE 1656’s bargaining committee who confirmed there was a “brief” phone call with the region. The local union president, Phil Dominas, said the region asked what needed to happen to get them back to the bargaining table, but no date or time was set for further negotiations.
Members of CUPE 1656 hit the picket line after they were unable to reach a contract deal with the region. They include workers in road maintenance, landfill services, airport employees, clean water treatment and emergency vehicle repair.
In response to the job action, the waste management centres in Waterloo and Cambridge have closed to both residential and commercial customers. There have also been traffic delays, due to the presence of picketers, reported at the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Breslau. Flight departures and arrivals have not been impacted.
The union says wages remain a sticking point in the dispute.
The region, meanwhile, insists they want to reach a fair agreement that is both competitive for the union members and affordable for residents.
Correction
A previous version of this story stated that the region and CUPE 1656 had resumed bargaining talks.
