CBRM workers strike ends following Nova Scotia Labour Board ruling

A two-day wildcat walkout by unionized outside workers in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality ended Wednesday when the Nova Scotia Department of Labour legislated the employees back to work.

Members of CUPE Local 759 – which includes transit employees and solid waste workers – walked off the job Tuesday, bringing bus services and garbage collection in CBRM to a halt.

The union felt CBRM violated their collective agreement by putting a worker from a different union into a CUPE job. The city maintained the strike was illegal.

"Huge disruption, and certainly not taking a side,” said CBRM councilor Cyril MacDonald.

As the job action wore on Wednesday, four rinks owned and operated by the municipality closed in the afternoon – in addition to the halt in transit and solid waste service.

Suddenly in jeopardy were a Cape Breton Eagles home game scheduled for Thursday night at Sydney’s Centre 200, and the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green & Gold high school hockey tournament hosted at Emera Centre Northside.

"The revenue that's generated for the Emera Centre and the community is big and important, so the last thing we want to see is a disruption in that,” said Northside-area councilor Gordon MacDonald.

However, by late afternoon, the Nova Scotia Labour Board issued an Interim Order calling CUPE 759 members back to work, effective immediately.

By the supper hour, transit buses were back up and running and garbage collection resumed Thursday morning.

"I think that there's solidarity in the group that have chosen to walk off the job,” said CUPE Nova Scotia president Nan MacFadgen early Wednesday afternoon, in explaining the workers’ decision to strike. "I think the ball is in CBRM's court. The local has presented a resolve to the concern that brought everyone to the streets, and they're not interested in hearing what we have to say at all."

During the two-day strike, the Cape Breton University students’ union used its shuttle service to transport students who rely on transit buses to and from campus.

The job action was taken by roughly 300 unionized employees, which the union confirms received a one-day suspension for their actions.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.