Collective bargaining will begin in McBride after village employees voted in favour of unionizing.
Ballots in a certification vote were counted Monday, with the results leading towards nine employees forming a bargaining unit represented by CLAC.
The vote was conducted via a mail-in ballot, which was sealed until the Labour Relations Board's decision on an unfair labour practice complaint CLAC filed against the village.
That decision, reached Friday, dealt with the dismissal of McBride public works foreman John Aitken who was fired over the phone by village mayor Loranne Martin on Jan. 24, following Aitken's attendance at a CLAC information meeting the previous night.
CLAC and McBride reached a settlement March 5, the details of which were not released.
"The parties are satisfied with the resolution," said CLAC spokesperson Bruce Ryan, in a press release.
Though reinstated by the village, Aitken has chosen to pursue other employment.
"I would like to thank CLAC for their remarkable support throughout this entire process," Aitken said, in a press release.
A Feb. 5 letter to village staff from the McBride mayor and council urged employees to vote against certification with CLAC.
The letter stated the village "feels strongly that CLAC is not the right representation of this workplace."
But according to a CLAC press release issued Monday, Martin said the village "has a great deal of respect for CLAC as a collective representative, and we genuinely look forward to working with them to continue to make McBride a better place to live and work."
