School District 8 appears to have avoided a labour strike with its support staff.
CUPE Local 748 announced Tuesday it had reached a memorandum of agreement on a new labour deal with the district. The union is now recommending its members ratify the deal by casting their ballots at locations in Kaslo, Creston, Crawford Bay, Winlaw, Salmo and Nelson through March 9.
Details of the agreement have not been made public.
Talks between the district and CUPE’s over 400 members, which includes custodians, bus drivers, education assistants and secretaries, broke down in January.
Members then voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate, but the union and district continued talks through February with a BC Labour Relations Board mediator.
The deadline to ratify a new deal is March 15.
Voting times and locations are below:
Kaslo: Wednesday, March 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Seniors Hall, 312 4th St.
Creston: Thursday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST, Creston Hotel and Suites, 1418 Canyon St
Crawford Bay: Friday, March 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST – 16150 Walkley Rd.
Winlaw: Monday, March 6, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Bindu Yoga Studio, 5676 Winlaw Bridge Rd.
Salmo: Wednesday, March 8, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Salmo Valley Youth and Community Centre, 206 Seventh Ave
Nelson: Thursday, March 9, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Nelson District Chamber of Commerce (Railway Station), 91 Baker St.
