The City of Saint John’s attempt to have a judge deem Local 486’s strike and picketing activities illegal has failed. On September 27, the court of Kings Bench did not rule there were any illegal strike activities.

Both parties’ legal counsels have agreed to a “consent order” that acknowledges the workers’ charter-protected right to engage in a meaningful strike and picketing.

Accordingly, the judge did not rule that there were any illegal activities and Local 486 has made it clear to the City that it demands the City to retract its libelous statements from all online publications and issue a formal apology to both residents and workers. “Let us be clear, from day one, this strike has been legal, and we have respected all orders from the police,” emphasized Brittany Doyle, President of Local 486.

The mutually agreed-upon consent order will remain in force until Tuesday, October 3rd, providing space for further negotiations. Brittany Doyle added, “We are very close to reaching an agreement. Unfortunately, instead of finalizing a contract, the City is attempting to again mislead the public and take away worker’s right to strike. We are pleased the court did not take away our workers’ right to strike. The City should come to the table and finalize a fair deal instead of needlessly continuing to disrupt city services and keep us out on the street.”

This recent turn of events confirms Local 486’s claims that the City has been diverting resources away from fair negotiations and trying to use other avenues to suppress the workers, rather than genuinely addressing their concerns at the bargaining table.

Local 486 remains committed to negotiating a fair and equitable agreement and calls upon the City to prioritize the needs of its workers and residents, working together to build a stronger Saint John.