Update on Corner Brook Civic Centre Operations and CUPE Local 4386 Labour Negotiations

Operations at the Corner Brook Civic Centre have been suspended effective immediately following CUPE 4386 leaving the bargaining table.

All scheduled programming, bookings, ice activities, and non-ice facility access including our tenants are paused until further notice. The City requested CUPE’s commitment to provide at least 24 hours’ notice before striking. Unfortunately, CUPE did not make this commitment. Due to the health and safety risks, as well as the risk to the facility’s heating/cooling systems, the City was left with no choice but to lockout its Civic Centre employees in order to protect the safety and security of the facility and safely bring its heating/cooling systems to a shut down. The City could not risk being left in the position where employees could walk out of the building at a moment’s notice, leaving it unattended.

Throughout negotiations, the City tabled a total compensation proposal valued at 12% over four years (2026–2029), consisting of a 10% wage increase and an additional 2% increase to the base wages. The 2% includes adding $1.00 per hour to wages of the Cleaners and the Facility Technicians plus rolling in a $2.00 per hour premium to the base wage for the Power Engineers. The City believes this offer is fair and it aligns well with other municipalities.

The City remains committed to reaching a fair and fiscally responsible agreement with CUPE Local 4386 and looks forward to getting back to the bargaining table to achieve this goal.

QUOTE

“When sitting down at the bargaining table with any union, we do not negotiate for the present moment—we must consider the long-term sustainability of our city. We offered a competitive total compensation package which is comparable to other municipalities within the province. While we deeply respect our employees and the bargaining process, City Council must balance fair compensation with fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers, who are also facing rising municipal and living costs. Agreeing to such a significant pay increase with this union would place the city at greater financial risk to the city, taxpayers and user groups.” – Mayor Linda Chaisson