The union representing Westlock County employees has expressed concern comments Reeve Bud Massey made are “misleading” and don’t reflect the county’s attempt to “push long serving staff out the door.”
CUPE representative Lou Arab issued a media release Jan. 22 in response to the 2015 Reeve’s Report, which was presented to council Jan. 13. The response from the union comes after both front-line workers and union representatives took offence.
“I think it just struck a nerve with our members, and we heard from them quite a bit,” he said.
“I think it’s fair to say they expected a response from the union because they weren’t happy with what the reeve was saying.”
He noted these comments from the reeve are especially disappointing considering the positive relationship the union and CAO Peter Kelly have been working to cultivate as recently as Jan. 21.
The Reeve’s Report touches on several challenges and successes the county has experienced in the past year, including two labour-relations issues — the controversial severance offer that resulted in a complaint to the Labour Relations Board (LRB) and the most recent collective agreement, signed in the fall.
“Massey never mentioned the fact the county signed a consent order at the Labour Relations Boards — conceding and apologizing for the way they handled the severance issue,” Arab said in the release.
“His report points blame wherever it can — but ignores the fact the county has accepted responsibility, in writing.”
The consent order, reflecting an agreement both parties came to and resulting in the union dropping its complaint to the LRB, includes a statement acknowledging the county breached the Alberta Labour Relations Code when Kelly offered a three-month severance package to all county employees in October.
Arab said the statement that the county is a good place to work because 90 per cent of union members voted for a recent contract was also misleading.
“Employees voted for a contract they could live with, and they expect their employer to live up to its obligations in that contract,” he said in the release. “The recent disputes have been because the county isn’t living up to the contract they themselves voted unanimously in favour of.”
Massey declined an interview about the union’s concerns, and declined to answer several questions about the Reeve’s Report the Westlock News provided in writing. In an e-mailed statement sent from Westlock County executive assistant Cary Mueller, he provided a brief response.
“The Reeve Report is accurate,” he wrote. “Many of the issues you raise are personnel matters and should and will not be discussed publicly.”
In the response Massey characterizes the union’s concerns as “attempting to cause dissention (sic) between administration, council and staff,” and emphasizes everybody at Westlock County is working well together and making efforts to adhere to the collective agreement.
“We believe that Westlock County has many hard-working, dedicated and productive employees,” he wrote. “Please read the Reeve Report with an open mind and you will see that it supports and praises our staff.”
