Edmonton city workers and library staff poised to strike

Around 5,000 city workers in Edmonton are preparing to walk off the job Thursday weeks after negotiations with the city reached an impasse.

In a statement Monday, the Civic Service Union (CSU) 52 said it will serve a strike notice to the City of Edmonton and to the Edmonton Public Library, later today.

Picket lines will form Thursday morning, after the 72-hour notice period expires, the union said.

The union represents about 5,000 people who work throughout the City of Edmonton, along with library staff, who are covered by a separate collective agreement.

Union members at city hall include technical, professional, administrative and clerical workers such 911 operators, DATS dispatchers, project managers, accountants and clerks.

Bargaining between the union and the city reached a stalemate last month and since then, talks have stalled.

In Monday's statement, the union said no progress has been made as the city has not returned to the negotiating table.

"It's regrettable that it has come to this, but our members have been more than patient and fair, asking for what is reasonable after five years of stagnant wages," said Lanny Chudyk, president of CSU 52 said in a statement.

"This isn't just about our members; it's about the entire city. A strike will have ripple effects across Edmonton, impacting services that residents rely on daily, jeopardizing the safety of our citizens, and paralyzing industries. We do not take issuing this notice lightly.

"The last time CSU 52 went on strike was 1976, almost 50 years ago. Giving notice is extremely rare and completely avoidable."

City officials have yet to comment on Monday's strike action. Administration had previously applied for a lockout vote that would allow the city to trigger a lockout during a strike, to minimize disruption to city services.

The collective agreement between the union and the city expired in December 2020 but remains in effect until the next agreement is negotiated and ratified.

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A separate collective agreement, between the union and the library, also expired in December 2020.

Negotiations began to falter in January, when the union was informed that the city had ended mediation and triggered a mandatory two-week cooling off period.

Last month, with talks stalled, union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

In response, the city applied to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for an employer proposal vote, allowing workers to vote directly on what the city called its "best and final" offer.

The union made the results public last Friday. Most eligible members — 87.6 per cent — voted against the city's proposal, opening the door to a strike or lockout.

The biggest sticking point has been wages. The employees affected by the ongoing negotiations have not had a wage increase since 2018.

The city's latest proposal included a 7.25-per cent wage increase from 2021 through 2025, as well as items such as a commitment to hybrid work.