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economist sunsuntribune news saturday jan 10 2004 at loggerhe by martin derbyshire staff writer when it comes to dealing with its employees union officials say markham is the worst municipality in ontario theres no question in my mind labour relations in markham are absolutely the worst in the province said brian atkinson the york region business agent for the national office of the canadian union of public employees cupe and the unions former munici pal coordinator for all of ontario ifs unbelievable mr atkinson said his records show there is only one ongoing arbitration hearing regarding an employee griev ance with the region but there are a whopping 17 in markham markham employs approximately 350 cupe members while the region has 1800 vaughan has about 450 cupe members and has only two grievances since oct 2001 mr atkinson says another 15 grievances have gone to arbi tration in markham with 20 to 25 others being settled before they reached the hearing stage in comparison york region which has almost six times the unionized em ployees had only three and vaughan one one woman was moved to a job and when things didnt work out she was let go on christmas eve its disgusting mr atkinson said put it this way there are more than 32000 cupe members employed by the city of toronto and the amount of griev ances in markham is almost the same theres no way they should be the town is aware there is a higher than normal level of employee griev ances chief administrative officer john iivey said noting he is concerned about the issue especially as the town and union begin negotiating a new contract in march theres no doubt the relationship with the union executive has been strained he said but the statement that we are the worst municipalityin ontario is i think overstated our employees generally are reasonably happy mr iivey said many of the grievances filed by markham employees never should have been because they are sim ple issues that somehow escalated however mr atkinson said the grieved issues range from bumping rights and trial employment periods to one employee who was injured at work being accused of fraud and fired without due process kevin ottaway cupes town of markham unit chairperson said many of the problems members have stem from the towns recent core services review and the changes that initiative brought in an attempt to avoid duplication cut costs and find efficiencies within the towns front line services mr iivey says markham began the review in 2001 and is still in the midst of implementing sug gested changes to town departments many of the changes have involved employees moving and departments amalgamating and he says the overall effect has been almost 3 million in annual savings but mr ottaway says the overall effect has also been devastating for much of the workforce yes there were some people moved around but at the end of the day there were still people pushed out the door he said and a lot of those people who were moved were veteran people suddenly doing jobs they werent trained to do one woman was moved to a job and when things didnt work out she was let go on christmas eve mr atkinson said unlike other munic ipalities that have carried out the same kind of review markham didnt consult employees about what it wanted to do it doesnt make sense they didnt ask the frontline people how they could best deliver frontline services he said and they make absolutely no effort to resolve any of these issues with their employees mr iivey says he understands the changes have been difficult for some but promises the town is trying to work with the union and employees to iron out the issues deputy mayor frank scarpitti said he was surprised to hear of the situation he said he wants to set up a meeting between cupe council members and senior town staff girl guides of canada guides du canada leaders wanted call for details 1-800- 5658111 this message brought to you as a community service of the economisttribune markham waxers coaches wanted applications for waxers coaching positions for the aa a and ae level teams for the 20042005 hockey sea son are now being accepted direct inquires to john oconnor at 9054719753 interested parties are asked to send their resumes and yearly plan before january 23 2004 to markham waxers mount joy office 6096 16th ave 2nd floor markham ontario l3p 3k8 attention selection committee join a winning tevivl over 3soo carriers deliver the york region newspapers and you can be one of them earn bonus points win great prizes earn extra money gain the experience of running your own newspaper route call today 905 2948244 looking for permanent and holiday relief on the following routes abercom rd ambrose crt andover crt angus glen blvd avondale cres atlantic ave banfield ave baycliffe rd beech st bellside dr bishop cres bliss ct braithwaite rd brantford crt brooklyn cres bryant rd burndenford cres bur oak ave calderbndge cres caledonia cres callahan rd campden pi celebrity pi centre st chant cres charles simpson way chatelaine or clyeden pi conistan rd conservation ave cresane st dancers dr delhi cres drakefield rd eakin mill rd eastwood cres eckardt st edward st elizabeth st elmrill rd emeline cres emmeloord cres empringham cr fawnbrook cir fitzgerald ave forester cres forty second st fredericton rd fred mclaren blvd fred varley dr frisbycrt fry crt galbraith cres galsworthy dr gladiator rd grenfell dr griffin crt hagerman blvd hallam rd hans dr hedgewcod dr hemingway cres hollingham rd hollylane dr homestead crt jerman st john dexter pi jonquil cres kerrigan cres laconda cres laguna cres lampton cres lancashire rd lansdown cres lahor crt larkin ave lincoln green dr lincoln pi linden lea st longmeadow cres longwater chase lonsdale crt macrill rd main st markham main st unionville major buttons dr manhattan dr mansfield ln maple ln mccarty cres mckinnon st montrose cres moscan st moses cr normandale rd olivia dr peter st queens plate rainsford rd raymerville dr riseborough cir ritter cres riverview rd robinson st rodick rd royal troon cres rycroft dr sawyer cres if you do not see your street here and are still interested in becoming a carrier please give us a call the regional municipality of york public notice closure of solid waste management facilities in vaughan please be advised that york regions small vehicle transfer station and household hazardous waste depot that were located at the former keele valley landfill site in vaughan were closed permanently on december 31 2003 for other options look at your local municipalitys waste management calendar or website call york region at 9057646345 or 9058951200 visit the york region website at wwwregionyorkonca wmlregian wwhmjumjuh tznmal show like no other its back just in time to assist you in you wedding preparations for later this year a spectacular wedding show planned just for brides and grooms the markham bridal show is slated for saturday january 17th from 10 am to 4 pm sunday january 18th 12pm to 4 pm the bay at markville shopping centre home outfitters markham themes come true and angus glen golf club have come together again as as spon sors of this informative yet fun event with the increase in weddings in the markham area they wanted to provide a further service to brides offering communitybased bridal services its being held at the beautiful reception facility at angus glen golf club the site of many memorable weddings at the markham bridal show future brides will have the opportunity to be intro duced to the gift registry at the bay home outfitters as well as themes come true wedding designers as well there will be more than 40 unique vendors covering everything you need for the perfect wedding from photography videograhpers florists tuxe dos limousines and bridal dresses there will also be models displaying bridal attire and tuxedos walking among those gathered during the festivities if that isnt enough there willbe cake testing with some beautiful cakes tia sample after all the bride needs to make an informed choice for her special day all day long there will be a fabulous jazz band playing in the background when they take a break a disc jockey will provide the tunes to set the mood tickets are only 2 available at the door if you require further information call 9055131770 ext 315 also theres limited space for further vendors if interested call the number above if youre planning a wedding you wont want to miss the markham bridal show planned for saturday january 17th sunday january 18th r i