Durham’s Inside Workers Reject Deal, Remain on Strike

Durham region’s insider workers remain on strike after they voted against a revised collective agreement early Sunday morning, The Toronto Star reports.

Workers from departments including daycare staff and public health inspectors have been on strike since Thursday June 19 over proposed changes to sick time rules for paramedics. The Region’s proposal would make the first three days of sick leave unpaid, citing “very high rates of absenteeism” compared to other services, according to durhamregion.com.

52 per cent of the CUPE Local 1764 union’s members voted against the Region of Durham’s offer. “I would have really liked to see the number higher but it was still a majority of workers that rejected the Region’s offer,” said president Pauline Hopley in an interview Sunday morning, according to durhamregion.com.

The union and the Region have been in talks since May over these changes, but continuing points of contention mean no agreement have been reached.