After more than a year of unproductive negotiations, roughly 1,200 Region of Waterloo workers represented by CUPE has filed for a No-Board.
This means both CUPE Local 1883 and 5191 will initiate a 17-day countdown to a strike or a lockout. Typically, Ontario's Ministry of Labour will issue the No-Board within five business days, then the 17-day countdown would begin, so the earliest a strike or lockout could occur is July 24.
Noelle Fletcher, president of CUPE 1883 who represents over 900 workers - who work in various regional buildings - said, negotiations have never been about money, but focused on job security, being treated fairly, and mental health support.
"The mental health crisis has hit us too, not just during COVID-19, but previous to COVID-19 that's why it was important in what we were asking for."
Fletcher mentioned, during the year, bargaining with the region has been quite different this time around.
"We do not want to go on strike, there are many reasons why we want to go on strike, but we did not have a choice but to do this, if (the region) is not giving us bargaining dates, and we're not at the table talking then this is the next step."
Fletcher added if a strike was to occur it would cause "chaos" for the region, especially for community members.
"An awful lot of our members are front-facing with community and client, and they don't want to see (a strike) happen, they don't want to see it happen to the community, or clients at all."
Both CUPE 1883 and 5191 have been without a contract for over a year.
Members from both deliver a range of services, including the region's paramedics and logistics support, public health, childcare, and social assistance.
In March, paramedics and logistics support workers voted 97 per cent in favour of authorizing job action, should it come to that. That job action would involve a limited strike, bringing the region's services down to a 50 per cent capacity. Specialized services such as community paramedicine would halt.
The Region of Waterloo did not provide a comment on the situation.
