Members of CUPE local 5512 have voted in favour of job action which may result in a complete cessation of services.

The Local 5512 represents well over 400 employees of the Prairie South School Division #210, including but not limited to janitors, educational assistants, and administrative staff.

The frustration comes from the school division attempting to eliminate the members' Long Service Recognition Benefit and replace it with what the union is calling an "inferior retirement gratuity language."

"The employer is coming after a long-standing retirement benefit, pushing a wage freeze in the first two years of the agreement, and trying to divide us by offering deals that hurt some of us more than others. The message we heard from our membership was loud and clear. We are standing united against these concessions and minuscule wage offers. We deserve and demand more respect than our employer has been showing us," said CUPE National representative, Dave Stevenson.“We’ve negotiated this important benefit into our contract, and taking it away would negatively impact about 142 of our members immediately. Everyone else who retires from now on after at least 14 years of service will be affected by this cut to. The school division is also pushing a wage offer well below increases to the cost of living. We won't let them divide us; we won't let them insult us, and we won't let them attack our retirement. This strike vote shows that we are ready for a fight for a fair collective agreement."

Although votes have been cast, passing 95.7% in favour of moving forward with plans not yet in place for job action.

Now, officials within CUPE will be taking the latest agreement from the employer and be putting it to another vote with their members this coming September. In the statement from CUPE, they also added that the bargaining committee will be advising their members to reject that very offer.