As strike looms, city and union remain 2% apart from deal

The City of Edmonton and a union representing nearly 6,000 of its employees have not progressed toward a deal as workers prepare to strike Thursday morning.

The city and Civic Service Union 52 remain two per cent apart from a deal.

CSU 52 wants retroactive wage increases of 1.5 per cent in 2021, 1.5 per cent in 2022, and two per cent in 2023, while the city is offering zero per cent for 2021, one per cent for 2022, and two per cent for 2023.

The City of Edmonton is also offering an increase of two per cent for 2024 and 2.25 per cent in 2025 in an effort to secure the stability of a five-year agreement.

Last Friday, workers voted 87.6 per cent against the city's offer.

"We feel we're at an impasse right now," city manager Andre Corbould told media Wednesday afternoon.

"We're disappointed to have reached this point."

The strike, set to begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday, will impact several services, including the closure of recreation centres and libraries.

"We cannot reiterate it enough - we do not want this strike to happen," CSU 52 president Lanny Chudyk said in a statement. "What we want is a fair and equitable deal for CSU 52 members instead we will see a strike that will see far reaching impacts for Edmontonians - something this city has not had to deal in nearly 50 years.

Corbould said the city is working to mitigate the impacts of the looming strike but, "The reality is that CSU 52 employees do important frontline work and they do it very well. This means there will be disruptions, delays and closures."

"We know the coming days could be challenging. There will be picket lines…and there will be some frustration," Corbould said.