Seven mediation sessions between the Châteauguay blue-collar union and the City failed to produce an agreement. Both the city and the union are pointing fingers at one another for ending the mediation process that began in October.
In a press release, the city stated that the mediator had made a proposal for discussion that “the city considered constructive and aimed to identify a realistic path toward an agreement.” It emphasized that this proposal was rejected by the union, ending the mediation.
The Châteauguay blue-collar union has a different interpretation of the situation.
Union advisor Stéphane Paré confirmed that the proposal was rejected because it was deemed “insufficient.” The union made a new comprehensive offer that included several aspects of the mediator’s proposal. “The city rejected our offer without even looking at the document,” said Mr. Paré. According to him, that is what ended the mediation.
Questioned on this subject, the city denied having rejected the offer without reviewing it. “The city reviewed the comprehensive offer presented verbally by the union at the end of the mediation process,” said Alain Legault, Division Head, Public Affairs and Support for Elected Officials at the city. He mentioned that the offer was not accepted because there were still major points of contention “regarding subcontracting, employment floors, and overall compensation.”
The issue of subcontracting
The use of subcontracting is one of the issues that has been a stumbling block in the renewal of the collective agreement from the outset. The city is asking the union for greater flexibility when subcontracting is more efficient than using municipal employees alone.
The union recently launched an advertising campaign denouncing the use of subcontracting, arguing that internal expertise is available and that, in the end, the bill is higher for citizens. The union also criticizes the city for refusing to “quantify and justify its policies.”
The city has denounced this campaign, which it says “is based on biased interpretations and contributes to fueling unnecessary tension.”
As for why it does not provide figures on outsourcing, the city responds that “each situation is evaluated according to objective criteria, such as the expertise required, deadlines, availability of labor and equipment, and regulatory requirements.”
“These variables explain why outsourcing costs vary from one case to another; there is therefore no ‘single cost’ applicable to all situations,” said Mr. Legault.
