CUPE, City of Oshawa reach deal with outside workers

There will be no strike by Oshawa’s 220 outside workers after the City and the union ratified a new collective agreement.

The deal between Oshawa and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 250 runs until December 31, 2026 and includes annual raises of 3.5 per cent this year (backdated to January 1), 3.35 per cent for 2025 and three per cent for 2026.

The two sides reached a tentative agreement after nine days of bargaining, with the ratification vote held Monday at the IBEW Hall on Ritson Rd. S.

“Negotiations always have challenges, but at the end of the day as a team we bargained with the directives and mandates given from the membership as our guidelines,” said Local 250 President Krista Laing. “The work our membership performs is critical for the City to run. We don’t get to go home during the snow storms. We stay and make the roads safe. We work the long weekends at recreation centers, providing a safe place for residents to enjoy. We maintain the trails and pick up the waste in order to keep the City clean and much more. We are so much more than just ‘City Workers.’”

“We strengthen and serve Oshawa.”

CUPE Local 250 represents City of Oshawa staff who provide outside services for the community, including Parks, Roads, Waste, Recreation and Facilities, with workers responsible for everything from removing unsafe trees, plowing parking lots  to cleaning the ice at City-owned arenas.