Unions claim negotiations with city have stalled – with no agreement in view
The parking lot behind Laval’s interim city hall on Saint-Martin Blvd. was the scene of some well-organized pandemonium early last week.
Unionized members of Laval’s blue-collar staff, along with officers from the Laval Police, made what was probably their noisiest effort yet to pressure the city into signing collective labour agreements.
An old tactic renewed
Their tactic, involving the otherwise peaceful but nonetheless ear-shattering use of air horns in an attempt to disrupt the March city council meeting, has been used as an intimidation method by unionized city workers for years when contract negotiations were lagging.
In a statement issued by the police union (Fraternité des policiers de Laval) last week, the FPL says the show of force was motivated by decisions the city took recently that allegedly impacted public security while undermining the ability of the police to carry out their duties.
Police services reduced
“This action comes amid the recent closure of the east and west service counters, which has significantly reduced access to local services for citizens and eliminated agreed-upon positions – further worsening the situation for members who remain without a collective agreement,” said the statement, alluding to the rationalizing of police services in some Laval neighbourhoods.
The police union maintains that after more than thirty negotiation meetings spread out over years, only four have been held since last summer, “one of which was solely to announce the City’s decision to seek mediation,” states the union.
They claim that this, combined with the closure of police department service counters (allegedly limiting access to local services for citizens) “has further heightened the frustration of FPL members.”
‘Willing to listen,’ says union
“Negotiating is not the same as imposing,” said Sylvain Tardif, president of the FPL. “We have always been present and have shown a willingness to listen to the issues raised by the employer, but this goodwill does not seem to be reciprocal.”
The Laval police officers’ union, which has 700 members, maintains that since December 5 last year, the number of firearm discharges in the Laval area doubled compared to 2023, while also maintaining that extortion-related crimes increased by 44 per cent in two years and that fraud increased by 37 per cent since 2021.
“Members are demonstrating exemplary commitment in the face of this increase in violence and notable increase in criminal matters,” the FPL’s president said. “They are the ones who maintain the quality of services to citizens despite the lack of recognition from the city of Laval. It’s high time for the City’s administration to move from words to deeds at the negotiating table.”
Louder than ever
For their part, Laval’s blue collars joined the police outside Laval city hall, as they capped a recent six-day general strike with a campaign of noise seemingly louder than any of their previous attempts to get attention.
Borrowing a page from Trump MAGA movement supporters in the U.S., at least one Laval blue collar worker was spotted by The Laval News wearing a hoodie with an iron-on decal featuring the face of former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, along with the slogan, “Make Laval Great Again.”
Without a contract with the city since December 2021, the blue collars union pledged to honor a decision rendered by the province’s administrative work tribunal obliging them to maintain essential services during the labor dispute.
The dig was clearly meant to get under the skin of the current Mouvement lavallois administration at Laval city hall. The municipal party took power in 2013 on the crest of a wave of voter reaction following the downfall of longtime mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, who was later convicted and served six years in prison after being found guilty of corruption.
Upholding essential services
“We are present day after day for all the citizens,” said Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) blue collar union local 4545 president Louis-Pierre Plourde. “It’s now up to the city to be present for its employees.
“Public services are endangered. Investment must be made in our work conditions, because after inflation of historic proportions, four years without salary increases, this is too much to bear and we are no longer able to attract and retain qualified and salaried individuals.”
Union rejects 19.5 per cent
The city’s last salary offer, according to the blue-collar workers’ union, was a 19.5 per cent increase over seven years. The union claims this is unacceptable as it won’t allow its members to recoup the buying power they lost over the past four years.
“The mayor says he has a highly modern vision for his city, but it seems to me that a thoughtful mayor ought to take public services seriously,” added the blue-collar worker union’s president.
“It’s been proven numerous times,” he continued. “Inside expertise is cheaper that going private. The union side was the last to table a settlement offer, and since then it’s been radio silence from the side of management. Disappointing.”
