Union to speak with new security company, Ranger Security
The CWU will be meeting with Hiram Longsworth of Ranger Security on Friday to discuss terms and conditions under which they will be employed. They will be looking at overtime, work schedules and other employment conditions. One of the major sticking points in the negotiations, and what seemed like a sure deal-breaker at one point, involved what have been called compassionate packages. That’s a fancy title for extra money to workers who were black-listed and would not be able to secure employment with the new security firm. In the end, the City Council compromised on that as well, and those workers without employment or immediate future employment will be given a financial cushion.
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Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President, CWU
“We were able to get our ex-gratia/compassionate package for some of the workers. There were three workers that the Council said that they absolutely did not want and those three workers were not being recommended to go over to the new employer. I won’t call their names, but one of the good news is that if they were anyone that had less than five years, they got six weeks more additional pay so that pulls them over so that they can go find another job in the interim. If they had five years and over, then they would get four weeks additional salary, so that’s good news for them. Then there are three workers who could go over to the new employer but are refusing to go for their own reasons. Those people are being given two weeks extra pay to hold them over until they can find another job. We are hoping to still prevail on the Council to assist them with their small business grant because we understand that they have such a thing. We know at least two of them have plans to start a little business of their own. One of them wants to do their own ideal-making business. So that’s not in the agreement but we’re still going to push for them to get that additional little assistance.”
With the details hammered out, the redundancy comes into effect Friday, and all workers will be paid off. The Council has agreed that it will not deduct notice pay for the prolonged negotiations.
