Vehicle drives through public works picket line in Taché | CBC News
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A vehicle drove through a picket line Monday amid a public works strike affecting services for thousands of Rural Municipality of Taché residents.
Members of the Operating Engineers of Manitoba Local 987 went on strike Monday morning in the municipality, which includes the communities of Lorette and Landmark south of Winnipeg.
Things got heated on a cold first day for the 22 striking employees picketing outside the RM office, which is located south of Centre of Canada Park on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Winnipeg. RCMP were called Monday after a man trying to get to the RM office drove through the picket line.
The man then grabbed union representative Trevor Yuriy’s phone after Yuriy took photos of the vehicle.
A strike by members of the Operating Engineers of Manitoba Local 987 could affect services like landfills and snow clearing for thousands of people living in the RM of Taché, located southeast of Winnipeg.
He gave the phone back after Coun. Natashia Lapeire helped calm things down in the RM office building, where council was holding a closed session of its public works meeting.
Yuriy said the striking employees don’t plan on leaving the picket line, hoping more people will notice the work they do.
“They keep the roads safe for everyone to travel on. They keep the sidewalks clear of ice, everything,” he said amid a blustery wind coming over the open field beside the RM building.
Services across Taché affected
Under an essential service agreement, striking workers will only clear snow on municipal roads and sidewalks if a storm drops at least 15 centimetres. Plows were idle after snowfall Monday and Tuesday.
As the spring melt approaches, workers will only work on flood mitigation and road repair if the work is deemed an emergency. Landfill hours are reduced, but garbage and recycling pickup will continue in Lorette and Landmark because it is done by contractors.
Water treatment will be handled by managers, Yuriy said, with striking employees responding to any urgent calls on evenings and weekends.
Public Works employees have been without a contract since December 2024.
The union, which also represents public works employees in neighbouring municipalities, said the Taché workers make about $8 per hour less than their counterparts. The union wants a two-year deal that increases wages to levels in neighbouring municipalities. The RM wants to lock in the deal for three years.
“The union does have an offer on the table, which is that two-year deal that both sides have agreed to absolutely everything on. We could sign that deal today, and the strike is over,” Yuriy said.
Mayor Armand Poirier would not agree to an interview about the strike but said Monday that construction of the $30-million Taché Community Centre in Lorette should not be affected.
The RM said in a statement that it remains committed to resolution through the collective bargaining process.
Final offers from each side were rejected at a meeting on Feb. 6.
Yuriy said seasonal employees are with the same union and will not be hired if the strike continues into the summer.