Colwood union heads to strike vote amid dispute over medical leave changes

Municipal workers in Colwood, represented by CUPE 374, will be conducting a strike vote after negotiations reached an impasse over the City’s proposal that would require workers to accept cuts to health-related leave in exchange for competitive wages. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Municipal workers in Colwood will vote next week on whether to take strike action, as contract negotiations with the city remain stalled over proposed changes to health-related leave and wages.

CUPE Local 374 president Shireen Clark says the dispute centres on what she describes as a rollback to an existing benefit that allows employees paid time off for medical appointments.

“We’ve reached an impasse. There’s nowhere further to go at the table,” Clark said. “We haven’t been able to reach a deal without a rollback being offered.”

Clark says the city’s proposal would remove paid time for medical appointments and require workers to use sick leave instead.

“You may get a wage increase this round, but you lose the ability to attend medical appointments on paid time,” said Clark.

She says the change is especially concerning given ongoing challenges accessing family doctors and medical care across Greater Victoria.

“In a time when it’s already difficult to see a doctor, taking that away is a significant step backwards for employees,” Clark said.

The city has said its wage offer is intended to remain competitive with other municipalities in the region. But the union argues any gains are tied to concessions elsewhere in the contract.

“Competitive wages are being offered only if we agree to remove that provision,” Clark said.

The union also says staffing pressures are already being felt.

“We’ve had layoffs, and there’s essentially no recruitment right now,” Clark said. “We’ve also had two people leave during this process.”

Despite the dispute, Clark says the union still wants to avoid job action.

“Our hope is to resolve this as quickly as possible,” she said. “We don’t want to go to strike action if we don’t have to.”

If members vote in favour of strike action, Clark says the next steps will depend on an upcoming essential services hearing.

“That will help determine what any job action would look like,” she said.

The union says it has proposed alternatives during bargaining, including a system that would allow the employer to track and limit medical appointment time, but says those options were rejected.

Clark argues the issue is ultimately about maintaining consistency across municipal employers in Greater Victoria.

“There are 13 municipalities in the region,” she said. “It’s very rare that they don’t have similar packages each round of bargaining.”

The strike vote is scheduled for June 9.

CTV News has reached out to the City of Colwood for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.