Beaconsfield blue-collars back to work

Beaconsfield's blue-collar workers went back to work yesterday, ending a seven-week strike to give the city's new elected officials some breathing room, said Michel Parent, president of the Syndicat des Cols bleus regroupés de Montréal, which encompasses all blue collar jobs on the island.

"I stopped the strike because I wanted to give a chance to the new mayor (David Pollock) to familiarize himself with the dossier," Parent said, adding he had met with Pollock a few days ago, and would do so again very shortly.

Pollock, who had been a councillor since 2005, was voted in as mayor with a landslide victory over incumbent Bob Benedetti and another challenger, Hela Labene, during Sunday night's municipal election. He came in along with three new councillors who had supported his campaign, two incumbents who were supporters of Benedetti, and an independent.

Though workers walked out on the job Sept. 18, the very start date of the official electoral period in Quebec, union officials have denied any political intentions behind the strike. "We don't have anything to do with politics," one negotiator for the union, Chantal Racette, told The Chronicle during an interview in September.

Today, however, Parent conceded he would have never afforded the same courtesy he gave Pollock to a re-elected Benedetti.

"Absolutely not," he said of the possibility of ending the strike had Benedetti won.

"He was already familiar with the dossier and he should have shown his willingness to negotiate a long time ago."

The chief bone of contention for Beaconsfield's blue-collar workers, Parent reminded, was the demand for 10 more permanent employees than the city has now, bringing the total number to 33.

Previously, the administration stated it would be willing to grant five more employees permanent status, but that is not good enough for the union. It is also asking for less work subcontracted externally, as well as similar salary gains to the ones obtained in other West Island municipalities.

The mayor-elect was not reachable for comment today, but he briefly reflected on the blue-collar situation with reporters moments after his election at city hall Sunday night.

Pollock said at the time that he wanted to get negotiations started again with the workers and come to an agreement that satisfied all parties. However, he also said any deal would have to keep in mind that Beaconsfield residents already deal with "a high level of taxation" for their services.