Mayor Smith’s statement regarding the negotiations for the renewal of the Westmount blue-collar collective agreement.

Since November 12, 2021, 17 negotiation meetings and four conciliation meetings have been held with union representatives to renew the City’s blue-collar collective agreement.

The employer, the City of Westmount, has always been available to meet with the union and has adapted when union spokespersons have changed.

In keeping with the procedures set out in the Labour Code, City Council wishes to keep the discussions at the negotiating table and does not intend to negotiate publicly or in the media.

Indeed, the parties are currently in a conciliation process. To that effect, a conciliator has been appointed by the Ministère du Travail and is actively participating in this process to renew the collective agreement.

Rest assured that the City Council and I are following this process closely and are aware of the discussions at the negotiating table.

The City is duly represented by its bargaining committee, just as the blue-collar workers are represented by their committee. We wish that the discussions will take place in good faith, as required in the Labour Code.

We hope this process can soon lead to the signing of an agreement between the two parties.

Sincerely,

Christina M. Smith
Mayor of Westmount