CBU teachers and maintenance workers vote to strike

The bargaining unit for teachers and maintenance workers at Cape Breton University have voted in favour of a strike astheir union and the school prepare for conciliation talks in early February.

The workers are members of Local 18 of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.

In a statement, the union saidthe workers voted 100 per cent in forthe strike"to back their demands for a fair collective agreement."

"This vote was a clear show of confidence and support to the bargaining committee that the members are willing to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure their next agreement is fair," said union president JoanJessome.

The main issues in bargaining are hours of work, workload and wage parity with their CBU counterparts represented by other unions and at other Nova Scotia universities.