THUNDER BAY — Meetings this week directed by a conciliator will likely determine whether hundreds of City of Thunder Bay employees set a date for a strike.
Bargaining teams for Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 87 and the city are scheduled to meet with the provincially-appointed conciliator on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
They'll try to hammer out a new collective agreement to replace the one that expired a year ago.
CUPE represents nearly 600 inside and outside workers, responsible for a broad range of duties including clearing roads and sidewalks, garbage collection, sewer and water system maintenance, parks and recreation services and a host of other functions.
Deryk Fournier, president of the local, said "it's 50/50" that a deal will be struck this week.
If not, he said Monday, "It's not going to be good. We're going to be looking to have a walkout."
Members of the union have already given their bargaining team an overwhelming strike mandate.
Fournier said he was feeling more optimistic about prospects for a settlement earlier in the negotiating process but "it took the wind out of the sails a little bit to have to get to this point."
He added that the union prefers to avoid a strike because it would have such a significant impact on city services.
Wages are a key issue on the table, but neither party has made details of their positions public at this point.
City Manager Norm Gale issued a brief statement, saying only that the parties will work together with the conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
