Latest news with #GregHoath
CBC
10-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Hamilton water workers ratify tentative agreement with City of Hamilton
The near-three-month strike between Hamilton water workers and the City of Hamilton ended Monday when the union and employer reached a tentative agreement. On Wednesday, workers ratified that deal. The agreement will go before City Council for approval on July 16, the City said on its website Wednesday. Greg Hoath, business manager with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 772, told CBC Hamilton Tuesday he hoped members would approve the deal. Water workers took to the picket line May 14 after negotiations with the city fell through. The workers, who oversee the water purifying process as well as the discharge of waste water, said they wanted to address decades-old concerns. One was the length of time it takes to reach their top pay rate through on-the-job training. The other was a pay gap that left some members earning about $4 less per hour than another group of workers with fewer certifications, workers told CBC Hamilton. On Tuesday, Hoath said that while he could not disclose what's in the tentative agreement, it's "improved from the previous position of the city." "This labour disruption was really over one issue of pay equity or parity," he said. "We are at least going to have the opportunity to address that question and have it answered once and for all." Mayor Andrea Horwath said Tuesday the "deal reflects our city's commitment to fairness, fiscal responsibility and respect for our workers." Both sides say ready to return to work despite tense strike Hoath acknowledged a "fractious" relationship between strikers and the City. Workers disrupted council meetings and Hoath said the city threatened the union, calling their picketing outside transit facilities unlawful. However, he said members won't let hard feelings affect their return to work. "They will go back to work and do their job. This is water and waste water. We're not going to play around with something as important as those services for the public," Hoath said. City manager Marnie Cluckie shared a similar sentiment in an email to CBC Hamilton Tuesday, saying the employer values the workers and "remains committed to fostering a positive, respectful, and collaborative working relationship." Two other groups of strikers in Hamilton also recently reached deals. Members of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union on strike from the Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board approved a tentative agreement Monday. They had been picketing since May 22. Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2073 members voted to ratify a new collective agreement with Canadian Hearing Services. They had been on strike since April 28.
CBC
08-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
City announces tentative deal with striking water workers in Hamilton
City water workers have been on strike since May 14 In a social media post late Monday night, the City of Hamilton says it has reached a tentative deal with the union representing 54 water workers who have been on strike for almost two months. In the post, published just before midnight, the city said it had reached the tentative agreement with the Hamilton Ontario Water Employees Association (HOWEA) following ongoing negotiations. "The tentative agreement is now subject to ratification by HOWEA's membership and approval by City Council," the city said. "The delivery of critical water, wastewater and stormwater services to the community will continue uninterrupted given the commitment of both parties to recommend the agreement for ratification," the city said in a post on its website. Water workers went on strike on May 14 after negotiations with the city fell through. Greg Hoath, business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 772, on behalf of HOWEA, said in May that the workers oversee the water purifying process as well as the discharge of waste water. Back then, Hoath said workers faced two major issues that haven't been addressed for two decades. He said the first is operators are required to get four, "Level 3" certifications but are paid less than a different group of workers who are only required to have one, "Level 1" certification. The union wanted to close that gap by increasing the pay of its members by six per cent over four years. Hoath also said the second issue is that if operators want to reach the top pay rate, they have to undergo on-the-job training, but it can take the city as long as 10 years to facilitate it. In May, Mat Couture, a millwright picketing outside the plant, told CBC Hamilton that the high cost of living pushed workers into demanding more money. He says his team, which keeps the plant operating smoothly and fixes things when they break, is not paid as much as millwrights in other water systems. "We're severely underpaid," he told CBC Hamilton, noting the average wages for millwrights in online job postings are between $43 and $45 per hour, while he and his colleagues make $38.64. "In Halton Region… at the Skyway Wastewater Treatment Plant, their millwrights and electricians are currently being paid $43.56 an hour."
Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
‘The worst possible timing': Murky tap water spurs allegations between Hamilton and striking workers
Murky tap water in Stoney Creek has spurred competing accusations of dishonesty and misinformation between the city and the striking workers who normally run Hamilton's drinking water treatment plant. About 55 workers who operate Hamilton's water and sewage plants hit the picket line last week over a pay dispute, prompting the city to enact a provincially approved strike contingency plan that relies on managers and non-union staff to take over operations. Strike acrimony exploded into public view late Tuesday when union official Greg Hoath emailed various media with an allegation that the Dewitt Road reservoir 'ran dry' due to operator error by the fill-in workers, leaving some residents without water. That public pronouncement, later repeated by supporters on social media, came as residents between Dewitt and Millen roads started reporting murky water or low pressure online and to a local councillor. The city acknowledged the low-pressure issue — but flatly denied what it called a 'false' allegation about a reservoir problem. 'No, the reservoir was not dry,' said city water director Nick Winters late Tuesday, adding he was not aware of problems at any of the city's reservoirs. Winters confirmed some Stoney Creek residents are experiencing low water pressure, but stressed the 'temporary' issue was expected due to work to recommission the area's largest water main, which has been undergoing emergency repairs for months. 'It has nothing to do with non-union staff operating the plant,' he said. Instead, he said the process of putting the massive water main back into service was affecting area pumping stations, which can cause 'very temporary' pressure problems. Photo of murky water posted on a Stoney Creek Facebook page. Hoath dismissed that explanation as 'dishonest,' arguing the union received 'inside information' about the alleged reservoir issue. 'I don't believe them for a minute,' he said, adding the union spent time Tuesday handing out flyers and talking to residents without water in Stoney Creek. In response, Winters said he is concerned there is 'absolutely a lot of misinformation that is being distributed around the community' about how the city is keeping taps and toilets functional during the strike. In the meantime, residents are interpreting the war of words — and cloudy water — in different ways. The union's reservoir allegations were reposted on social media accounts for the Hamilton and District Labour Council on Tuesday night. 'This happens when untrained scabs work water system(s),' read one such post. On Facebook, residents in the area of Millen and Dewitt roads shared photos of brown tap water — and in some cases, their thoughts on the labour dispute. 'They do not have everything under control! Give the workers what they want!' posted one resident on a photo of a glass of brown-coloured water. 'That has nothing to do with the strike,' chimed in another resident. 'Nice try.' Area councillor Jeff Beattie said Wednesday he is circulating a social-media explanation of the pressure problem and pipe recommissioning project, noting he received several complaints about low water pressure and discoloured tap water overnight. He lamented that the city did not 'proactively' warn residents about the anticipated pressure woes and said he understands why people might have concerns in light of the strike. 'It really is just the worst possible timing,' he said.
CBC
21-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Sewage smell outside Hamilton water treatment plant concerns striking workers
Social Sharing For 55 water and wastewater operators in Hamilton, being on strike stinks — literally. Workers with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 772 have been off the job since May 14, picketing at different locations including the major wastewater treatment plant on Woodward Avenue. On Tuesday, the union shared a message on social media stating that an odour-detection system at the plant had failed and might be affecting the Parkview neighbourhood where the plant is located. CBC Hamilton visited the picket line Tuesday afternoon and detected a stink along Woodward Avenue in front of the plant that was particularly strong by the plant's north gate. Workers on strike said that's unusual and a sign of something not working correctly. "It's raw sewage. That's what you're smelling," Greg Hoath, a business manager with the union told CBC Hamilton. "Normally you don't smell anything." While they don't have first-hand knowledge of what's happening inside, Hoath said based on what they know about the plant, the smell is a sign that things inside are not running as they should without his colleagues at their posts. Hoath and his fellow members say they worry there could be an important system failure with negative consequences for the community's health and the environment. City says 'no risk' to water safety Nick Winters, who directs Hamilton Water, told CBC Hamilton there have been "no abnormal odour issues at the Woodward facility in recent weeks and all of the facility's odour control systems are operating properly." Wastewater treatment "inherently generates odours," Winters said in an email Wednesday. "On average, we receive 13 odour complaints annually at the Woodward facility. Odours can be more prominent when winds are blowing from Lake Ontario westerly across the city." The city has also said the strike poses "no risk" to the quality of safety of drinking water, and services continue uninterrupted. "We want to assure residents that contingency plans are in place, and city staff are working hard to maintain safe and uninterrupted operation of our water and wastewater systems," Marnie Cluckie, Hamilton's city manager said in an email. "This includes redeploying non-union management staff with years of experience." Winters added that staff have "worked diligently" to prepare for a strike scenario with contingency plans reviewed and approved by Ontario's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. "Although there are currently 55 unionized members currently on strike, it's important to note that the city's water and wastewater facilities normally have about 15 operators working on any given weekday, with a significantly smaller number working overnight and on holidays," he said. CBC Hamilton could not detect a sewage smell in the neighbourhood immediately east of the plant Tuesday. Area councillor Tammy Hwang (Ward 4) said her office had received one complaint about the smell that day. "We respect the [union members] who are using their legal right to strike and we hope that all can come to a fair agreement/resolution as soon as possible," she said. Residents who would like to complain about the smell from the plant can call 905-546-2424, extension 1086, she added. Robert Haller, who directs the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, told CBC Hamilton he thinks managers are capable of maintaining basic services. Haller represents the City of Hamilton to the federal government and said he has no comment on the labour dispute. "Longer term maintenance, growth and larger repair is best handled by the more specialized operators, but I think the residents of Hamilton can feel assured that their water is safe," he said in an email. "These managers weren't born as managers – most worked their way up through the utilities, most being fully qualified engineers." Managers would be expected to understand the duties of their crews, he said, adding most systems are highly automated and monitored. "This will mean long hours for management, but I would expect that many a manager is still capable of jumping into a ditch to repair a broken pipe if necessary." Talks break down A week into the strike, morale among members was high, Hoath said, noting the union had a 100 per cent support for its strike vote and were prepared to walk. "There is absolutely no way they're not struggling," he said of the managers doing operators' jobs. "We know how hard it is." Hoath said he hasn't heard from the city about more negotiations since around the second day of the strike, when they told him they weren't prepared to discuss money. "That's the only issue on the table. So, there was nothing to talk about," he said. Striking workers are calling on the City of Hamilton to close a pay gap they say leaves some of them earning about $4 less than another group of workers with fewer certifications. That group can reach their highest pay rate in fewer years and with fewer training hours, members say. The union wants a six-per-cent pay increase over four years to close the gap. Members say that would cost the city around $1,000 per day. The city said on its website, in an update on May 15, that its "offer was consistent with agreements negotiated with other City employee groups" and that it "remains committed to the collective bargaining process." Tom Shields, an operator who works at a facility in Dundas, said he normally oversees over 70 pump stations and eight combined sewer overflows between Ancaster and Puslinch, Ont. Shields was part of a picket line around city hall on Tuesday morning. He said every worker on the line would rather be doing their job than striking, "but if we don't, every year we get further and further behind, so it's not fair." Water issues in east Hamilton This week, striking workers also pointed to maintenance issues in east Hamilton yesterday as evidence of the city's inability to manage the system without them. But the city disputed that claim. Winters said Wednesday Hamilton Water repaired a watermain break near Mohawk Road E., and Upper Sherman Ave that morning. He said the city is investigating additional watermain breaks in this same area today at 872 and 894 Upper Gage Ave that may have caused some residents to lose water pressure. "Unfortunately watermain breaks do occur periodically for various reasons. The city can confirm there is no relation to these watermain breaks and the ongoing... labour disruption," Winters said. He noted Hamilton Water is also reporting lower water pressure for some residents in Stoney Creek but said that issue is related to planned watermain work and is also unrelated to the strike.
CBC
14-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Hamilton water operators go on strike demanding better pay from the city
City says water will continue to be delivered despite labour disruption Operators who run Hamilton's water and wastewater plant are on strike Wednesday after negotiations with the city fell through. At the Woodward Avenue Treatment Plant, 54 workers are picketing, said Greg Hoath, business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 772, on behalf of the Hamilton Ontario Water Employees Association. They oversee the water purifying process as well as the discharge of waste water, he said. The city has said in a news release, well maintenance and water testing will continue "without interruption" and it has contingency plans to "maintain critical facilities operations" to ensure clean water continues to flow. However, the workers on strike are "genuinely concerned," said Hoath. "We know what it takes in there, and there's no way they have enough bodies that are certified," he said. At the same time, workers have faced two major issues that haven't been addressed for two decades, said Hoath. The first is operators are required to get four, "Level 3" certifications but are paid less than a different group of workers who are only required to have one, "Level 1" certification, said Hoath. The union wants to close that gap by increasing the pay of its members by six per cent over four years, he said. The second issue is that if operators want to reach the top pay rate, they have to undergo on-the-job training, but it can take the city as long as 10 years to facilitate it, he said. The city did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
