CUPE 1699 serves RDFFG with 72-hour strike notice
By Spencer Hall
The union representing over 100 public services employees with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George provided the District with a 72-hour notice to strike on Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement released the same day, CUPE 1699 said the notice means workers will be in a legal position to begin a rotating strike as of 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 18th.
“Details about which services and locations will be impacted will be shared the morning job action begins,” the union said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it is not clear how the job action will impact public services in the Robson Valley, including solid waste management, land use, and parks and recreation facilities. However, workers at the Canoe Valley and Robson Valley Recreation Centres are continuing with the ice-making process, which began last Wednesday in Valemount and this Tuesday in McBride.
“The Regional District is proceeding with making ice as scheduled tomorrow and Friday,” RDFFG communications manager Hilary Erasmus told The Goat, adding that it is awaiting more information from CUPE 1699 to inform the District’s next steps.
In a release on Wednesday, CUPE 1699 president Daniel Burke said the union’s members want the RDFFG to recognize the value of their work.
“Our members are just trying to afford the basic necessities in the communities they live in and serve every day,” says Burke. “This could be resolved immediately with a wage increase that is in line with the increases other municipal workers in the region have already negotiated.”
The District said in a following release the collective bargaining process with the union has been “challenging” and it hopes to find a resolution that balances its responsibility to taxpayers and provides a fair deal to its employees.
“The Regional District is committed to finding a solution and attempted to return to mediation. Unfortunately, this request for mediation was rejected by CUPE,” the District said.
The Goat reached out to Burke, who was not immediately available for additional comment.
The collective agreement between CUPE 1699 and the Regional District expired in December 2024. Negotiations began in February and hit an impasse in early August. Workers then took a vote on strike action at the end of August, with 94 per cent voting in favor.
The District announced it would be delaying ice installation in Valemount and McBride on October 1st. The announcement instantly triggered anger and disappointment for many residents across the Robson Valley, many of whom either use the ice surfaces themselves or have children who are in minor hockey and figure skating clubs.
The District then announced on October 9th it would be moving forward with the ice-making process, with the caveat that if job action were to occur, it couldn’t guarantee the ice services would be available for continuous public use.
The same day, the union sent a letter to the RDFFG board sharing its frustration regarding the District’s decision to delay the ice.
““As you know, our members work hard to deliver services and take care of our parks, buildings, and landfills. They also take care of the ice in arenas, and have been ready and willing to do so, despite the Regional District’s public insistence that the delay was due to the uncertainty of potential job action by our union,” the letter said.
This is a developing story and may be updated as more information becomes available.
