It was a rocky start to 2014 for those driving on city roads and those paid to maintain them.
The sun had set on 2013 without city of Prince George management and unionized staff coming to an agreement after a year of collective bargaining. The five-year contract for the Canadian Union of Public Employees locals 1048 and 399 - representing inside and outside workers, respectively - expired Dec. 31, 2012. The employees held a one-day strike Dec. 14, 2013 and issued another strike notice for Jan. 7.
"We're at the point now where the proposal we gave them is bare bones," said CUPE 399 president Gary Campbell on Jan. 6. "It's not zeros, but it's bare bones. And we're being more than reasonable."
While job security and hours of work were cited as early points of contention, the final sticking point came down to wages. The city continuously said there was no money to offer wage increases to unionized staff.
After a full-day of negotiating, staff and management came to a tentative agreement on Jan. 7, the occasion marked by cheers erupting in the late afternoon from the city hall conference room where talks took place.
"Both parties have worked hard and compromised to reach a settlement that is fair to both employees and the taxpayers and we are pleased - very pleased - that no further job action will be undertaken," said public works director and city bargaining spokesperson Bill Gaal, following the conclusion of the day's discussion.
The settlement, which was ratified a few days later by union membership, was a four-year deal that included a signing bonus of 0.5 per cent for 2013 and wage increases of 0.75 per cent in 2014 and two per cent annually for 2015 and 2016.
There were also changes to the employees' benefits package made by dropping one sick day per year.
"I think the members are happy that the unrest is over and the uncertainty is over," said CUPE 1048 president Janet Bigelow after the ratification vote on Jan. 9.
The next step for all involved was to soothe the rough edges raised by the bargaining process, which began in January 2013 when the city announced it was bringing in a third-party labour lawyer.
"Sometimes it takes a long time to heal wounds," said Bigelow. "It takes years to build a good culture. Of course there's going to be some rebuilding that has to happen, but I think it will be fine."
Statements from union leadership consistently referred to membership feeling undervalued and disrespected by their employer.
At the end of the Nov. 3 council meeting - the final meeting before the election - outgoing mayor Shari Green thanked and praised city staff and encouraged residents to treat them with respect.
"It's not disrespectful to expect employees of an organization to do their part to contribute to the fiscal bottom line and I didn't see it as disrespectful to expect a reasonable compromise," said Green, during a wide-ranging interview at the end of her term. "It was difficult to achieve but an important contract to take a stand on. [Unionized staff had] 28 years of continuous wage increases. I was 15 years old the last time they saw a zero."
Following the ratification, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation issued a statement praising city leaders for the agreement.
"Prince George mayor and council should be commended for working hard to get a settlement that better protects taxpayers in their city," said a statement from Jordan Bateman, the group's B.C. director. "While not quite a 'net zero' contract for all four years, it is very, very close. After the past five years of big raises for union employees - 16 per cent from 2008 to 2012 - this lower cost should offer some relief to cash-strapped taxpayers."
Other collective agreements reached in the past two years include the cities of Richmond, Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster and Port Moody all with wage increases of 1.25 per cent in the first year, 1.75 per cent for two years, and two per cent in the final year; the District of Elkford with "modest wage increases in each year and improvements to sick leave benefits"; and the Fraser Valley Regional District with a two per cent increase in the first year followed by 1.5 per cent increases for the second and third years of their agreement.
In the midst of the bargaining and beyond, the city was also dealing with a public relations disaster in the form of botched snow clearing.
A mid-December 2013 storm of more than 40 centimetres of snow followed by rain had crews playing catch up on roads well into the new year.
City council's second meeting of the year featured an incendiary report from Gaal that said the expectations of residents about the level of service following a snowfall were too high.
"The city's snow clearing efforts have not changed," said Gaal. "What is changing is the weather events and volume of snow per storm event, and more importantly, resident expectations."
"Past practices may have worked, but they may not work anymore," said Coun. Albert Koehler.
Another report tabled in February featured the public works department asking for more than $6.6 million to improve snow clearing operations. The funds would purchase new equipment, hire an additional mechanic and rent graders.
It also outlined shortfalls such as the department failing to act faster when they knew the city would be short on rental equipment, management approving too much time off and not monitoring completed routes, leading to some roads being plowed multiple times while others went without.
"We can't look at spending our way of this mess," Coun. Brian Skakun said at the Feb. 24 meeting. "We have to manage our way out as well."
Council's request for more information led to another controversial decision - paying a Maryland-based consultant $131,900 to review the city's fleet, fleet replacement and snow and ice control practices.
While many would go on to question the price tag, the Mercury Associates report shone a damning lens on the city's snow removal operations. It highlighted a crumbling fleet and ineffective or non-existent planning, saying "it is very challenging and difficult for [city of Prince George] to make good decisions on snow and ice operations."
By October, recommendations from the report had been included in new bylaws and city procedures, including setting timeframes for getting roads plowed and setting out specific routes where vehicles can't park or stop during the winter.
"It's all very weather dependent," said public works associate director Gina Layte Liston. "But we feel the for the work that we have been completing with regards to the snow equipment - the rental of additional equipment and some retainers for some of the very specialized equipment - that will allow us to complete it within those timeframes."
