City workers who are members of the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) have voted to go on strike.
UNW President Gayla Thunstrom and Lorraine Rousseau, regional executive vice-president in the North for the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said that an “overwhelming majority of City of Yellowknife PSAC/UNW members voted in favor of strike action yesterday (Jan. 17).”
However, the outcome of the vote will not automatically trigger a strike, they said.
“We’d prefer the employer come to the table and negotiate a fair deal in good faith. The earliest the union could legally take job action is Feb. 8.”
A union spokesperson declined to disclose the vote count and would not say whether all unionized workers might walk out or if there would be a rotating strike, stating that the union does not comment publicly on the details of strike votes.
A city spokesperson previously stated that the municipality would issue a statement on Jan. 18, but there was no public comment on the strike vote prior to publication deadline.
One hundred and ninety-two of 277 City of Yellowknife staff were members of UNW Local 345 as of the end of December, according to Richard McIntosh, spokesperson for the municipality.