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Crossing guards' bid to unionize fails by one vote By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The 89 crossing guards working for the Town of Oakville will continue doing so without a union after their vote failed just one voter shy of majority. A majority of the guards -- 77 -- were at Oakville Town Hall on Nov. 20 to cast their ballots after making an application for certification, said Lyn Hunt, the Town's labour relations manager. The guards needed a 50 per cent-plus one majority for the vote to succeed in their application to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). If the vote had passed, the Town would have had a chance to challenge the application. Wayne Olympico, a crossing guard of eight years, was upset that the vote failed, especially as it would have taken one more vote in favour of forming a union to succeed. Olympico said he was surprised so many crossing guards would not want a union. He has worked in unionized jobs his whole life and believes conditions become vastly improved in such work environments. "I worked for unions and when I first started, nothing was covered, but as time went on the safety boots became covered, the eye glasses were covered, your dental, they started paying 50 per cent and it eventually was 100 per cent. This is what you want," he said. Olympico admits crossing guards wouldn't get all these items, but, he said, they would have the ability to fight for some things. Crossing guard issues have been in the local news lately. Until this year, Oakville crossing guards earned less than their counterpart in neighbouring municipalities. The Oakville guards were earning $12.52 per hour, while crossing guards in Burlington earned $13.30 and in Milton $15.97. The local guards received a $1 raise this year, the first since 2008, pushing their wages to $13.52 per hour. It takes several years for a crossing guard to reach the top pay. Last year, during Town budget deliberations, council eventually voted to eliminate crossing guard positions at five locations deemed to be underutilized. That took effect this past September in a move that saves the Town $16,000. The locations included: Dorval Drive and Rebecca Street; Chartwell Road and Michael Terrace; McDonald Road and Gloucester Avenue; Third Line and Hixon Street; and Lakeshore Road and East Street. Olympico said he believes there is a need for 10-12 more crossing guards in Oakville. With a failed vote, the guards will have to wait at least a year before making another union application. 5 · Thursday, November 29, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com STUNNING SMILES ARE OUR BUSINESS New 3D Implant Technology! Dr. Phelan is proud to offer an exciting new implant technology to help precisely place dental implants for patients. Bone loss in your jaw will always follow tooth loss and over time cause facial changes, speech changes, and diet changes. 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Delegation returns Dec. 4 Continued from page 1 rently in discussion with Sheridan College regarding future relations. Tieling, Brennan said, has an economic makeup similar in some ways to Oakville. While agreements similar to the one signed in Huai'an are not expected from these two cities on this trip, Brennan said it is important to get the ball rolling. "This will be the first meeting with them," said Brennan. "The objective is setting up a platform that will facilitate Oakville businesses either doing business there or getting business from there." Burton and St. George will also meet with city officials from Beijing and Shanghai during their trip to see if there is interest for similar economic cooperation agreements. The Oakville delegation is scheduled to return home on Tuesday, Dec. 4. 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