Strike delayed for thousands of Edmonton city workers

A strike by more than 5,000 Edmonton civic workers expected to begin this morning has been delayed by 24 hours.

A spokeswoman for the Civic Service Union confirmed the strike is now slated to begin Friday at 11 a.m. It's not clear how the delay will affect city facilities such as libraries, which had planned to close this morning.

Workers expected to walk off the job tomorrow include library staff as well as administrative workers for the Edmonton Police Service and the municipal government. Others include emergency 9-1-1 operators, help-line operators, recreation centre staff, accounting employees and clerks as well as those who conduct criminal record checks and firearms renewals.

The union has not had a contract since 2020 and is looking for a three-year deal that would cover up to 2023 with a five-per-cent raise.