Take The Power Back

Today is decision day. The members of CUPE Locals 82 and 543 in Windsor will meet at 4 pm and review the latest offering from the city. Unlike last time when the city shamed the union bargaining committees into holding a vote on their offer, this time it’s the result of a marathon negotiating session with the presidents indicating it’s the best they can do. Today the members will decide if it’s good enough to compensate for being on the picket line for 14 weeks.

Last vote the city (read Eddie Francis) blundered with gusto when managers were sent to the vote location to hand out copies of their version of a back to work protocol. For some reason the city left the protocol out of the contract offer. This mistake was compounded by sending managers, under threat of firing, to hand out the less than adequate protocol. None of the management staff wanted to be there. They were being placed in a no-win situation and had to be escorted away from the members when things started to turn ugly.

The Windsor mayor, Eddie Francis, later tried to blame the decision to send managers on “bad legal advice”. Outside legal adviser, George King, tried to defend the attempt to diseminate the information to the workers. John Skorobohacz, the Chief Administrative Officer of the city fell on his sword for sending Don Sadler and others to the vote. As reported in the Windsor Star, Skorobohacz said,”In my 28 years of employment in the field of municipal administration, this has been the low point in my career. This is an action I deeply regret as these employees were placed in a difficult and potentially dangerous situation.” However, left out of this whole dark chapter in the strike is Michael Dubin who lies between Skorobohacz and Sadler in the city hierarchy. What role did he play? Did he have any misgivings? Did he advise against the move or was he in favour?

So, barring any major faux pas by the city today, the Local committees are recommending that the members accept the offer. However, there are already rumblings from the membership about replacing the two presidents, Jim Wood (82) and Jean Fox (543).

With reason, the workers are upset with the lack of strategy from CUPE to run the strike, with the non-existent public relations campaign, and for the uninspired tactics employed. In fact, just two days ago union members were approached on various picket lines by their strike captains and others with a survey asking them what they wanted to do next and what sites they thought should be picketed. I would be very upset (if I were a union member) to think that I was on strike for 14 weeks and was sold out by the “leadership”. I would be tempted to vote NO again just to send a message to CUPE as well as the city that this isn’t over yet.

Well, the members can go back to work AND continue the fight. Read Ed Arditti’s blog today (http://windsorcityon.blogspot.com). He promotes the idea of a legal case against the city (including a forensic audit of the books) by the workers, outside of the constraints of the union. Ed calls for a class action suit that may have a very good chance of winning back for the members the lost wages of the past 14 weeks. It’s an interesting concept that merits further contemplation. I’d be interested in getting in on that…if I were a City of Windsor CUPE member.