Members of CUPE 5428 are expressing frustration after the Town of Esterhazy refused to allow their concerns to be presented at a council meeting on April 10th.

The union had formally requested to speak at the meeting in a letter sent to the town office on the morning of April 4th. The letter outlined workers’ concerns over the employer’s actions related to ongoing collective bargaining. The Town failed to respond until the afternoon of April 10th – just hours before the meeting – indicating that the union would likely not be allowed to present.

“Our members are simply asking to be heard,” said Dylan Breland, CUPE Staff Representative. “The Town’s refusal to engage with its employees and hear their concerns is deeply disappointing.”

Despite being denied a voice at the council meeting, CUPE 5428 members gathered at the council chambers for the 6:30 PM meeting. The Town did not permit the union to speak, and council members ignored the workers present throughout the half-hour meeting.

In addition, CUPE 5428 members were excluded from the Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance (SCGA) Contractors Breakfast, hosted by the Town. The SCGA promotes safety and awareness around buried utility hazards – issues that directly impact the day-to-day work of town staff.

“Our members work around these hazards every day. Being excluded from a safety-focused event like this makes us feel disrespected and not welcome by the employer,” said Sheldon Profit, a member of the CUPE 5428 bargaining committee.

The workers are currently facing a forced vote on a collective agreement offer that includes significant concessions to seniority, seeks to eliminate a unionized position, reduces staffing at the town office, and locks workers into a five-year deal with average wage increases of less than three percent per year.

The forced vote concludes on Monday, April 14th. The union anticipates that the offer will be rejected and is calling on the Town of Esterhazy to return to the bargaining table in good faith.

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