READY AWARDS SOUTH HILLS TO CITY WORKERS

QUESNEL – After a ruling last week by prominent BC arbitrator Vince Ready, roads in the Quesnel boundary expansion of South Hills will no longer be plowed, sanded or maintained by private contractors. Quesnel city workers, represented by CUPE 1050, had long argued that their cost effectiveness, flexibility and contract language meant this work ought to go to them.

“This is the outcome we expected,” said Dan Weiman, CUPE 1050 President. “We have long argued that city work belongs to city workers. We are experienced, committed to the community and don’t extract a profit. Ready’s ruling recognized that.”

The city of Quesnel took over responsibility for maintenance of the 25 kilometer (50 lane kilometer) road in the fall of 2003. It’s maintenance had previously been performed by Argo, a private contractor, on behalf of the province.

“Argo’s contract was worth over $12,000 a month for snow removal – even if it doesn’t snow or require sanding,” Weiman explains. “Our wages for South Hills would only amount to about $11,700 per month.  If it doesn’t snow and the road’s don’t need sanding, we can be assigned different duties, and the savings go to back to the city.”

Ready also argued that city workers “can perform the additional summer road maintenance in a cost effective manner.”

Currently, five city workers perform summer and winter maintenance for approximately 186 lane kilometers within the city of Quesnel. In his award, Ready recommends that “a winter afternoon shift and a year-round utility weekend shift [be added] to accommodate the performance of the additional road maintenance in the South Hills area.”

The ruling further establishes that CUPE 1050’s bids for the South Hills work were not fairly presented to council.

CUPE 1050 represents Quesnel’s city workers.

For more information and a copy of Vince Ready’s decision: please visit www.cupe1050.com.

Contact: Dan Weiman, CUPE 1050 President, c: (250)991-9195; Diane Kalen, CUPE Communications, c: (778)229-0258