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More than 5,000 city employees and Edmonton Public Library (EPL) staff officially hit the picket line Thursday morning impacting a number of services across the city.

Last week, 88 per cent of Edmonton’s Civic Service Union (CSU) 52 members voted to reject the City of Edmonton’s “best and final offer” which proposed a 7.25 per cent wage increase, with retroactive pay to 2021, spread over five years.  It proposed raises of 0, 1, 2, 2, and 2.25 per cent each year to 2025 — a position the union says the city hasn’t moved from in many months.

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What’s happening now?

Timeline: How did we get here?

By Lauren Boothby

Labour tensions are boiling over in Edmonton, but pressure has been mounting behind the scenes for years inside city hall and Edmonton libraries. Here’s how we arrived at Thursday’s strike, and some of our coverage along the way.

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• Dec. 19, 2020 — Contract expires for more than 5,000 City of Edmonton workers in CSU 52, one of five unions representing civic employees in Edmonton.
• July 19, 2021 — Contract for unionized EPL workers in CSU 52 updated with 0% raises for 2019 and 2020.
• Sept. 2022 — Negotiations for new collective agreements begin. City and EPL workers rally outside Edmonton city hall for new “no zeros” campaign on Sept. 14.
• July 4, 2023 — City and EPL workers wearing red hold a protest outside city hall for wage increases.

• Oct. 30, 2023 — CSU 52 internal polls show the majority of its workers at the city and EPL want to strike.
• Dec. 5, 2023 — Mediation for City of Edmonton contract. City begins with an offer of 0%, 1%, and 2% raises from 2021-2023. CSU 52 starts with 3%, 4%, 4% raises 2021-2023.
• Dec. 6 & 13, 2023 — Mediation ends unsuccessfully after a third day without a recommendation from the mediator, who suggested a five-year term instead of three. CSU 52 puts forward a five-year offer of 1.5%, 1%, 2%, 3.75%, 3.75% raises 2021-2025. City ends with “best and final offer” of 7.25% raises spread over five years of 0%, 1%, 2%, 2%, 2.25% (2021-2025). CSU 52 ends with offer of 1.5%, 1.5%, 2% (2021-2023) hoping to negotiate future years in the next round of bargaining.
• Dec. 18, 2023 — CSU 52 announces no deal has been reached saying a strike vote is possible.
• Jan. 15, 2024 — City asks the mediator to “write out,” meaning mediation ends without recommendation, triggering a two-week cooling down period.
• Jan. 19, 2024 — EPL and the city meet for mediation, which is unsuccessful. Two-week cooling down period runs from Jan. 22 to Feb. 5, but tensions ultimately rise.
• Jan. 24, 2024 — CSU 52 asks the Alberta Labour Board for permission to conduct a strike vote for EPL employees.
• Feb. 6-8, 2024 — EPL workers hold a strike vote (Feb. 6-8). City of Edmonton applies to the Alberta Labour Board for a “proposal vote” (Feb. 6) which would require workers to vote directly on the city’s “best and final offer,” bypassing the role of the union in negotiations. City of Edmonton applies to the Alberta Labour Board for a lockout (Feb. 8). At least 72-hour notice must be given before activating a lockout or strike.
• Feb. 9, 2024 — EPL applies to Alberta Labour Board for a lockout the same day CSU 52 announces EPL workers have overwhelmingly voted to take strike action: 94% ‘yes’ votes with 93% turnout. Activating a strike also requires a 72-hour notice.
• Feb. 13, 2024 — CSU 52 announces City of Edmonton workers have voted to take strike action: 91% ‘yes’ votes with 83% turnout. More than 100 workers rally outside city hall earlier in the day.

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• March 4-7, 2024 — City of Edmonton workers conduct a direct “proposal” vote on the employer’s “best and final offer” of 7.25% raises spread over five years of 0%, 1%, 2%, 2%, 2.25% (2021-2025). CSU 52 says it will not activate a strike until after the vote. Library employees rally outside Stanley A. Milner Library.
• March 8, 2024 — CSU 52 members overwhelmingly reject the City of Edmonton’s offer with nearly 88% voting ‘no’ and 88% turnout.
• March 11, 2024 — CSU 52 serves a 72-hour strike notice for EPL and city employees, effective Thursday at 11 a.m.
• March 12-13, 2024 — City of Edmonton warns of significant and potentially lengthy impacts and shutdowns to city facilities including recreation centres, attractions like the Edmonton Valley Zoo and Muttart Conservatory, council meetings, and permits. All libraries set to close by 11 a.m. Thursday. The City launches a webpage to share updates on disruptions. Emergency operations including police and fire are not impacted. Transit, garbage pick-up, snow removal continue as usual. Edmonton Police Services prepares to move officers to 911 dispatch, pausing police information checks and other services, closing front counters except the downtown station. Strike could mean big overtime bills for EPS. Edmonton city council issues a joint statement reaffirming the city’s “best and final offer.”
• March 14, 2024 — CSU 52 members strike for the first time since 1976. City closures begin. Workers are set to picket at multiple locations including outside Edmonton City Hall and Stanley L. Milner Library starting at 11 a.m.

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Where are the picket lines?

CSU 52 workers will have picket lines at 12 locations across the city outside libraries, recreation centres and police stations with varying hours, including over the weekend.

• Edmonton City Hall (1 Sir Winston Churchill Square)
• Stanley A. Milner Library (7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
• Edmonton Tower (10111 104 Ave.)
• EPS Downtown Division (103A Ave.)
• Kennedale (corners of 58 Street & 128 Avenue)
• Kathleen Andrews Garage (12403 Fort Road)
• Clareview Rec Centre and Library (3804 139 Ave.)
• Kinsmen Sports Centre (9100 Walterdale Hill)
• Whitemud Crossing Library (4211 106 St.)
• Mill Woods Library (2610 Hewes Way NW)
• EPS Southeast Division (104 Youville Dr. East NW)
• Police West Division (16505 100 Ave.) — begins Monday

What services will be impacted?

Library, clerical, communications, and IT staff, along with 911 dispatchers and front-facing recreation centre staff are among the employees negotiating new contracts.

Many city facilities and services will be closed starting Thursday. Recreation centres, pools and arenas will be closed to the general public except for pre-arranged bookings and rentals. There will be no front-desk reception or drop-in programs, including for art or fitness.

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City buildings and attractions will be closed to the general public, including:

• All Edmonton Public Library locations
• Edmonton Valley Zoo
• Muttart Conservatory
• City Arts Centre
• John Walter Museum
• John Janzen Nature Centre
• Yorath House
• Rundle Family Centre
• Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre
• Alfred H Savage Center

Emergency services such as the fire department and police aren’t impacted. Transit including accessible DATS service, snow clearing, waste collection and construction for Edmonton facilities and infrastructure will continue.

City council’s regular meetings will be reduced and will only be held “for items identified as critical for ongoing operations,” the city’s website states. Public hearings, however, will continue.

See full service disruptions here

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Wednesday

City worker strike could mean big overtime bill as Edmonton police pressed into 911 service

By Jonny Wakefield

Edmonton police officers will take over as 911 operators as their civilian counterparts prepare to take to the picket line.

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Tuesday

Council says union wage hike would add 2.5% to property taxes

By Lauren Boothby

Edmonton will see significant shutdowns to city services, facilities and local governance when unionized civic workers strike later this week, but city council says giving employees their requested wages would raise property taxes by another 2.5 per cent this year.

Accepting what Civic Service Union (CSU) 52 is proposing would result in a final property tax increase of 9.1 per cent for 2024, all members of city council said in a rare joint statement late Tuesday. Council landed on a 6.6 per cent tax increase in November, of which 1.6 per cent came from raises for the police.

Read the full story here

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Tuesday

Edmonton city council gets automatic 2.4% raise in 2024

By Lauren Boothby

Members of Edmonton city council are getting automatic pay raises for the second year in a row, and Amarjeet Sohi is among the highest-paid mayors in the country.

Salaries are going up 2.41 per cent in 2024, the same rate as last year. Raises were revealed in a Jan.17 memo to council made public on the city’s open data website last week, and also on the city’s website in late January. Increases are automatic, set using a regulatory mechanism in a council policy last reviewed in 2020.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi’s base salary for 2024 is $216,585, up from $211,488 in 2023. City councillors’ base salary is $122,363 up from $119,484 in 2023.

Read the full story here