A rally was held at Stuart park Wednesday. CUPE 338 was sending a message to Commissionaires BC and the City of Kelowna.
17 jail guards have been trying for a 2 dollar wage increase for the past 6 months. A wage increase that Local union president Lee Mossman says is actually quite small considering guards in other communities are making wages upwards of 30 dollars per hour, while in Kelowna, guards make $16.50per hour.
Mossman says that's an "...extrordinarily underpaid position. We believe all people deserve to make a living wage, period. The living wage is above 19 dollars an hour here in Kelowna. So many people are making below that and how can you feel good about yourself as a person when you need to work 2 or 3 jobs just to get by."
No new bargaining sessions have been scheduled but Mossman says the lines of communication have remained open between Comissionaires BC and the union.