Is Canada facing a late-pandemic labour reckoning? Bitter New Brunswick dispute hints at what may be to come

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This article was published 05/10/2021 (1080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New Brunswick’s public employees, ranging from snowplow operators and court stenographers to educational assistants and licensed practical nurses, are on the cusp of widespread strike action — in what could be a precursor to a late-pandemic wave of Canadian labour unrest.

The province’s largest public employees union announced Wednesday that its members had voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

Steve Drost, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) New Brunswick, announced that all 10 locals represented at the bargaining table had supported — 94 per cent, on average — the mandate, and that some could walk off the job as early as next week.

“If the premier and this government is not prepared to come back to the table and negotiate fairly and respectfully and treat this union like any other union in the province, then, in fact, there will be massive job action and that will happen sometime … in the very near future,” said Drost.

And New Brunswick may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Many public-sector unions have delayed bargaining during the pandemic, and, in that time, many of those contracts have expired, says Sen. Tony Dean, who has acted as a mediator in public-sector labour disputes.

“This is a microcosm of something that’s going to be happening across the country,” said Dean, a distinguished fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

Those processes have already begun.

In Ontario, contract talks between the province and 70,000 hospital workers have broken down over health and safety issues. In Nova Scotia, 330 Cape Breton Regional Municipality workers in transit, public works, wastewater management, maintenance and custodial services have reached an impasse with their employer, requiring the appointment of a conciliation officer.

And in Winnipeg, school custodians, trades, painters and maintenance workers are calling on the Winnipeg School Division’s board of trustees to settle their contract or face potential job action.

“These are unions and employers who can’t wait any longer,” Dean said. “Collective agreements do expire, and when they expire, that gives the employer all sorts of powers towards the terms and conditions.”

In New Brunswick, an acrimonious dispute has emerged.

Ten union locals, representing 22,000 public workers, including education, health-care and labour and trades employees, have been without a current contract for at least a year and a half.

Five locals have been working on expired contracts for 3 1/2 years, and, of those, one — Local 1840, which represents court stenographers — has been without a contract for nearly five years.

At issue, primarily, are wages.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs wants to sign a new contract at five per cent increase over four years, a long way from the union’s starting offer of 20 per cent over four years.

According to CUPE, New Brunswick’s public employees, with an average salary of about $42,000, are the among the lowest paid in the country, ahead of only Newfoundland and Labrador.

The CUPE proposal would represent, for the median New Brunswick public worker’s salary, an increase of about $30 a week, Drost said.

Higgs has called the union’s demand more than the province can afford. He told reporters last month the government has offered other benefits, such as pension improvements, for some members and increased pay for casual workers.

On Wednesday, the premier issued a statement through a spokesperson, saying the government is willing to return to the table “as soon as CUPE is prepared to come forward with revised wage proposals.”

“With respect to working to rule, it is very unfortunate that CUPE is sanctioning this action while the province is immersed in the fourth wave of the COVID pandemic.”

For his part, Drost has said that any job actions the union takes in New Brunswick will not compromise public safety and that they will be flexible according to the province’s epidemiology.

Among CUPE’s sticking points are concessions demanded by the Higgs government that were not imposed on other unions with which the province negotiated an agreement.

The potential wave of contract negotiations comes as some public workers — especially those in the health-care and education sectors — are riding a wave of public good will.

That could increase the pressure on provincial governments, most of whom are bemoaning the cost of post-pandemic economic recovery.

“What’s different at this moment in time is public support,” said Dean. “Large, large numbers of people have been touched by this. They’ve needed access to the health-care system. They’ve seen people be supported, recovered … unfortunately, in many cases that died. … I don’t think there’s going to be much public appetite to hear governments talking about the need for constraint.”

“It’s going to be politically very difficult for governments to be perceived as targeting those workers.”

That good will has a shelf life, he added, and both sides will be very aware that the public is watching and will likely proceed prudently.

What’s also different, said Dean, is that the next rounds of bargaining will not only revolve around wages and benefits, but will also emphasize — as a result of the pandemic — health and safety issues, working conditions and, especially in health-care and education sectors, staffing ratios.

“We’re going to be hearing about those things being front and centre,” said Dean. “We’re going to be hearing about them as much as we’re hearing about money and, in some cases, even more.”

Angella MacEwen, chief economist at CUPE National, acknowledged the union is “seeing people getting back to the bargaining table across the country.”

“Now that we’re coming back to a situation where … most people are vaccinated and we’re mostly getting back to normal, these are the workers who tend to have been paid the least. But we really needed them to keep working during the pandemic. And I think we’ve seen their value throughout the pandemic.

“They’re ready to stand up for themselves and fight for a fair pay and better working conditions.”

With files from The Canadian Press

Steve McKinley is a Halifax-based reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @smckinley1