THUNDER BAY — A tentative agreement has been reached after months of negotiations on a new collective agreement between the City of Thunder Bay and nearly 600 employees.
The memorandum of settlement heads off a potential strike that could have impacted the Ontario Winter Games scheduled for the city next month.
Canadian Union of Public Employees Union Local 87 President Deryk Fournier announced the deal, saying "We're tired. It was a long and hard process. But I think we came to a deal that both sides are happy with, and I'm hoping the membership will be happy with it as well."
The union's bargaining team is recommending acceptance.
Members will learn details of the agreement on Tuesday, followed by a ratification vote on Wednesday.
The settlement was reached Friday, the third day of three days of scheduled negotiations aided by a conciliator appointed by the Ontario labour ministry.
CUPE had said it was essential for this round of talks to succeed if a labour disruption was to be avoided.
The last contract expired over a year ago, and the union's leadership had received an overwhelming strike mandate from the members.
Details of the new contract won't be made public until it's ratified.
City council must also give its stamp of approval to the deal, something that's expected to happen on Feb. 12.
In a statement Monday afternoon, City Manager Norm Gale welcomed the tentative agreement with the city's largest union.
"CUPE employees play a vital role in providing services to the community. We are extremely pleased to reach a tentative deal and, subject to ratification, prevent any disruption to a number of key services. It's a credit to the bargaining teams on both sides," Gale said.
NOTE: A previous version of this story has been updated to include a statement from the City of Thunder Bay
