The City of London negotiating team has invited CUPE Local 101 to resume contract talks, according to a statement from the city.
The invitation, which the city says was sent to the mediator Tuesday night and forwarded to the union Wednesday morning, comes after the city 'clarified' the proposal that is believed to have scuttled talks with the union on Monday.
City manager Art Zuidema said in the statement, “We hope the union understands that this is a genuine attempt to address the union’s concerns and we hope it brings both parties back to the table to continue discussions.”
Talks broke off after the union accused the city of adding new elements to the proposed settlement, "designed to make things go from bad to worse."
In a statement released late Tuesday, the city said, "Wording in the City’s proposal may have given the impression the City could potentially hire up to 2,500 part-time workers to work Sunday shifts. That is not the City's intention. The actual total number of part-time, unionized workers proposed for the Sunday shifts is no more than 25."
Lead negotiator for the city, Adriana Hagan, added that the city has no intention of using part-time workers to replace full-time positions, which is believed to have been the union's concern.
"We would only employ part-time staff to fill those Sunday shifts that full-time Local 101 staff do not choose to work," Hagan said. "Our proposal was meant to find a creative solution to this outstanding issue, not to create an impasse."
Frustration has been growing among the city's 750 inside workers, who have been on the picket line since May 25, as well as the union's negotiators.
Weekend work, as well as wages, early retirement benefits and job evaluations, have been among the biggest stumbling blocks in the negotiations.
