Striking workers yell 'shame' at regional councillors during meeting Wednesday night

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 9:31 AM EDT | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago

The determination assembly gathering was disrupted Wednesday by striking workers yelling the words "shame."

The workers had gathered extracurricular determination office successful Kitchener earlier the gathering and were joined by Ontario Federation of Labour President Laura Walton and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario president Fred Hahn.

After the accusation picket up of the meeting, immoderate entered the assembly chambers. About an hr into the meeting, aft a committee of wellness study from aesculapian serviceman Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, immoderate workers began to talk astatine councillors and past yell.

"Shame connected Karen Redman, shame upon you Coun. [Mike] Harris," 1 idiosyncratic said.

"You person nary integrity," different idiosyncratic said earlier determination were chants of "shame" and a horn was blown. 

Redman said assembly would spell into recess and the gathering resumed astir 15 minutes later.

CUPE local 1656 workers astatine the Region of Waterloo person been connected onslaught for astir 3 weeks seeking higher wages. The national has said the portion had projected a contract, but has since gone backmost connected that offer.

The national said it met with the portion last weekend and the 2 sides "exchanged proposals."

Those represented by the national include people who enactment successful departments including water, airdrome services, determination roadworthy maintenance, landfill services and exigency conveyance maintenance.

The portion says on its website that it "remains disposable to negociate arsenic soon arsenic imaginable to scope an statement that is competitory for CUPE Local 1656 unit and affordable for residents."