Windsor water workers could be on strike come next week if a new deal isn't reached before 12:01am on Wednesday.
A union vote had 100% support for a strike from 41 of the 52 IBEW Local 636 members who voted. New talks are now set for January 18 and 19 with representatives from the Ministry of Labour and the Windsor Utilities Commission at the table.
"Hopefully we can reach an agreement there to avert a work stoppage," Brian Manninger with IBEW Local 636 tells BlackburnNews.com. "Sometimes this process has to come right down to the bitter end which makes each side make those hard decisions because at the end of the day the result is a work stoppage if you're not able to put a deal together."
Workers have been without a contract since June 30, 2015. Negotiations began in September before breaking off on December 17. The key issues that led to talks breaking off aren't being disclosed by either side at the bargaining table.
"The issues, I'm not going to get into because it's still part of the bargaining process, so I consider them still confidential at this point," says Manninger.
The workers handle the city's water distribution and filtration systems.
Maninger wouldn't discuss what a strike could mean for city residents, saying it would "depend on the contingency plans the employer has set up."
BlackburnNews.com requested comment on the potential labour stoppage from the WUC but was directed to lawyer David Amyot with the McTague Law Firm who could not comment on bargaining matters, including potential contingency plans.
