City of Kenora, CUPE Local 191 reach tentative agreement ahead of strike deadline

The City of Kenora and the union representing its front-line workers have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement.

The workers, represented by CUPE Local 191, had a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. Saturday. However, local president Jayson Pykerman said the collective agreement was reached late Friday night.

Pykerman said the members have been without a contract since 2023. CUPE Local 191 represents workers in a number of different municipal jobs, including office workers, customer service representatives, roads workers, and heavy equipment operators.

"It was tough from the beginning," Pykerman said of negotiations. "We feel it is a step in the right direction for this membership and future employees."

"From the start, we wanted to make sure that everybody received the same rates and privileges we held for decades."

Pykerman said the agreement will now be presented to the membership. A ratification vote will take place this week.

The strike deadline, meanwhile, has been pushed to Friday.

"We found this to be the fairest deal that could be reached," Pykerman said. "So if they accept it, we sign off, we're done. If not, we go back to the tables and start trying to negotiate further."

In a media release, the city said it has a contingency plan in place that will maintain essential services in the event of a labour disruption.

"Council is pleased that the parties were able to reach a tentative agreement," Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier said in the statement.

"This means that our CUPE Local 191 workers will continue to deliver the day-to-day services that are important to our community. We thank both parties for their determination to reach a resolution and the ongoing commitment to the process," he said.