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Limits to CUPE power (continued)
contracting out of garbage collection. And this week it was city council’s decision to look into hiring a private contractor to handle parking enforcement. The refuse matter relates to the spring and summer CUPE strike and the most obvious impact on citizens – the lack of removal of household waste. The parking enforcement issue relates to the exceptionally high degree of absenteeism of bylaw officers – 39 days per person last year. Besides the time off cost to the city the absenteeism prevented Windsor from collecting an estimated $354,000 in ticket fines. This of course wasn’t a strike issue. But generous contracts in the past have laid the ground work for this kind of paid time off. Should Windsor end up contracting out garbage removal and parking enforcement the workers who do these jobs would not be out of work. They would be eligible for retirement or would bump into other jobs affecting employees with less seniority. Union officials may be correct in thinking that this is retribution for the bitter 101 day strike. After all they had the right to strike in a free and democratic society. But that right doesn’t preclude the employer taking-up measures to change the balance of power to prevent such actions happening again, especially when these are public services and the welfare of the community is at stake. For the union it’s a bitter lesson in the limits of power.
WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 1 2009
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