Maintenance workers, St. Catharines university at table for final talks to avoid strike on Monday

It’s now or never to avoid a maintenance workers strike at the Brock University campuses in St. Catharines and Thorold.

CUPE 1295, which represents approximately 150 maintenance, custodians and tradespeople, and the university have come to the table to negotiate with a provincial mediator in an effort to avoid a Monday, August 22 strike date set by the union.

In a statement, the university said it was committed to “a fair collective agreement that reflects the importance of the contributions of members of the bargaining unit, while being financially responsible and sustainable.”

Handcuffing the situation is the fact that the union falls under the dictates of Ontario’s Bill 124, passed in 2019, which limits wage increases to a maximum of one per cent total compensation for three years.

However, in case things won’t work out in negotiations, the school and union “developed a picket line protocol to ensure members of the University community and visitors can safely enter and exit campus in the event of a strike.”