File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Labour Relations

Dispute with union over bylaw restructuring is over: City of Kamloops

Apr 3, 2024 | 12:48 PM

KAMLOOPS — After four years, the City of Kamloops says the labour relations saga that stemmed from the restructuring of its bylaw services department is now over.

In a news release issued Wednesday (Apr. 3), the city says all outstanding issues between administration and CUPE Local 900 around the restructuring have been ironed out.

The city dissolved the bylaw department and launched the Community Service Officer program in 2020, adding more training and prerequisites for officers as they dealt with more and more street issues.

CUPE Local 900 grieved the move, saying it was made unilaterally and imposed stricter prerequisites while offering no ‘real and substantive’ change to officers’ job descriptions.

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The disagreement was sent to the B.C. Labour Relations Board for arbitration and, in 2023, the arbitrator ruled the restructuring broke the city’s collective agreement with the union.

The city appealed the ruling, though Deputy CAO Byron McCorkell said the appeal was largely based on wording. That appeal was dismissed earlier this year and the matter was sent to mediation.

In Wednesday’s release, the city says it has worked together with the union to resolve all outstanding issues.

“While the parties are bound by rules of strict confidentiality, we can confirm that the entirety of the dispute and all differences have been resolved to the satisfaction of the [c]ity and the [u]nion,” said the city. “We are grateful that we are able to leverage the significant benefits of the restructuring and continue to serve the community.”

“We have the ruling and we think where we landed is a place where our members are going to be happy and that the employer is happy with,” CUPE Local 900 President Ken Davis told CFJC Today Wednesday. “From here, we’re just looking to move forward, work with the employer and continue to provide services to the community that we do on a daily basis.”

Davis added efforts to improve the union’s relationship with the city are ongoing and will continue into the future.

“It’s been a long road, there’s no doubt,” he said. “Our preference is always to resolve things as quickly as possible. That’s fiscally responsible and also what our members prefer. When we have to go down this road, we have to go down this road sometimes, but we’re really happy to come to a conclusion and be able to put it behind us.”