Union says city wasting money delaying garbage pick-up pilot project

It's back to the bargaining table for the city and the union that represents its employees on a pilot project to pick up garbage at multi-family buildings.

That is, if city council gives the go-ahead at a meeting next week.

The city and the Canadian Union of Public Employees began negotiations in 2018 to launch a pilot project to bring a portion of garbage collection from condominium and apartment buildings 'in-house.'

The city is still awaiting delivery offour garbage trucks it ordered nearly two years ago and has already expanded a garage to hold the vehicles.

The contract to purchase the four trucks is $1.341 million and the city spent $100,000 toexpand the garage, the city said Tuesday afternoon.

The head of CUPE Local 500 said those costs and two years without a deal are wasting public money and CUPE can make the numbers work if it gets the job.

Settlement with CUPE

The city was required to follow through with the project following a settlement with CUPEaftera grievance the union filedover the privatization of waste collection across Winnipeg.

A major condition of the pilot going forward was it must cost no more than the same service provided by private companies.

According to a report in front of the city's executive policy committee (EPC) on Tuesday, the project would costthe city an extra $656,000 for two years and roughly $500,000 in start-up costs for CUPE to do the work.

On Tuesday,CUPE 500 president Gord DelbridgetoldEPC members the union has found at least $500,000 in savings from what city staff says the project will cost.

He said the city has earmarked 40 per cent of the overall budget for supervisory staff and estimated fuel costs much higher than they should.

Delbridge said the delays are "putting taxpayers on the hook."

"We have already invested into purchasing the fleet. Investments into the building," Delbridge said. "The amount of work that we've put into together just in terms of rolling out this project."

Trucks ordered in July 2018

The head of the city's water and waste department, Moria Geer, told EPCthe four garbage trucks had been ordered in July 2018, as it took a long time to "fleet up."

Geersaid the vehicles could be sold or used as part of a contract with a private company for the delivery of waste pickup at a later date; something she says could be done with minimal cost to the city.

Geer said her department has the budgetary authority to make such purchases. She told the committee approximately $100,000 had been spent in startup costs has been spent so far.

Mayor Brian Bowman told reporters after the EPC meeting that it was critical the pilot project meet an expectation of being no more expensive than a private sector contract to do the same work, but acknowledged there were still questions that need to be answered.

"I'd like to get data and not just make an ideological decision and that's why when I hear CUPE saying they can do it cheaper, I'd like to scrutinize those dollars and scrutinize those claims," Bowman said.

The pilot project negotiations come at a time when there is also a budget recommendation from the water and waste department to cancel waste collection from all multi-family buildings across the city.

Bowman declined to answer if the two were at odds with each other, saying no decisions about the budget, which is due in preliminary form on March 6as no decisions had been made yet.