Brampton residents are being warned to expect some essential city services to be impacted starting Thursday as hundreds of workers are now on strike.

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 831 represents approximately 1,200 full-time and temporary municipal workers, including in transit, animal control, road maintenance and hotel services city.

The workers were in legal strike position at 1 a.m. Thursday.

The City said it would prioritize essential and emergency services, but those using public transit could face longer than normal wait times. He recommends that Brampton Transit users plan their trips differently.

“Regular transport services are experiencing significant disruption. Residents are advised to make alternative travel arrangements,” a statement from the City of Brampton said.

“During this strike, certain City services are affected, while others continue to operate normally. You may experience delays, reduced capacity or temporary cancellations.

CUPE Local 831 shared on his website that its workers had opted for a strike.

The union said it has been working for nearly nine months on a new contract, and while it calls its demands “very reasonable,” it admits the two sides are “not close.”

“Management always seems to have the money, we wonder why there is no money for the workers,” said Fabio Gazzola, president of CUPE Local 831.

“Executives make more money, so why should their economic growth be greater, their benefit plans are significantly better than ours, and their vacation time is better than ours. They have a lot more flexibility when it comes to schedules and working from home, emergencies, etc.

Municipal negotiators said that while the content of their discussions remains confidential, they are committed to negotiating a multi-year agreement with workers that ensures financial accountability and is comparable to other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area.

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