(File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Striking Employees

Disputes ongoing between City of P.A. and CUPE 882 despite deal in place

Dec 8, 2023 | 5:01 PM

Even with the City of Prince Albert set to vote on Monday on whether to ratify the agreement with CUPE 882, words are still being exchanged and tempers still appear to be running hot.

On Friday, the union said they were still picketing because the city has failed to ratify the tentative agreement and sign a return-to-work agreement.

“We had hoped that City Council would have called an emergency meeting to get our members back to work as soon as possible, but this did not happen. Mayor Greg Dionne could have called for an emergency meeting of council with 48 hours notice instead of waiting for the regularly scheduled council meeting,” said Cara Stelmaschuk, Vice President of CUPE 882.

Union members voted 81 per cent in favour of accepting the city’s offer of 11 per cent on Dec. 1 but the city has not yet ratified it.

When asked why a special meeting was not called, the city said it did not have a signed agreement from the union for council to vote on until Thursday morning just hours before the deadline to add items to Monday’s agenda.

Freedom and Flexibility

How App-Based Work Creates Economic Opportunity

18h ago

Riderville

Now for the Hard Part

Dec 10, 2025

Seniors Scene

Christmas is Coming

Dec 09, 2025

Speaking on behalf of the city, Kevin Yates said they sent signed copies to the union three times but never received a signed copy back.

Return-to-work agreements are not required by provincial labour legislation, said Yates, and they should protect all parties.

“The employer is never going to agree to a system that doesn’t protect all parties,” he added.

He noted the union was not supportive of the city’s requirements to protect management and any workers that crossed the picket line and went back to work.

The union was asking for a list of those who crossed the line which the city said it would not provide.

Also at issue were about 14 incidents in which picketers were nudged by vehicles attempting to enter or leave city facilities.

Yates explained the union had agreed verbally to withdraw any complaints and refrain from raising them in the future but that was not part of the written agreement forwarded to city management.

“Up until Tuesday, we had been told that all of those issues were dead, but union members re-instated them,” he said.

For its part, the union said the city added a requirement that picketers drop any action against Mayor Greg Dionne or other staff for bumping city workers with vehicles at the last minute.

“The city is refusing to sign the return-to-work agreement that their own bargaining committee agreed to unless our members withdraw police complaints,” said Janice Janzen, CUPE National Representative. “It is inappropriate and potentially illegal for either the union or the city to attempt to thwart an ongoing police investigation.”

Picketers blocking access to city facilities has also become a point of contention in Prince Albert.

Online discussion on a local social media group revealed a lot of parental anger over the union’s decision to picket the EA Rawlinson Centre’s staging of the Little Mermaid.

Many commenters were fine with the union’s job action and picketing but drew the line at having it affect children.

The line was moved after calls to the union’s provincial offices.

Both parties still say they’re looking forward to staff returning to work and want to move forward.

According the document reviewed by paNOW, staff would be back at work on Tuesday following council’s decision to accept the deal unless it is not their normal work day.

—

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com