The end may soon be near for Vancouver's civic strike.
On Friday, labour mediator Brian Foley delivered a report with 60 recommendations to end the 11-week strike by the city's inside and outside workers and library staff.
The report recommends a wage package that would give unionized workers a 17.5 per cent pay hike over five years. It would also give workers a $1,000 signing bonus.
The union had called for an 18 per cent wage increase, while the city offered a 10 per cent raise.
One of the main issues in the dispute involves contracting out work, especially for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Foley's report recommends that the city give six months notice for such contract work.
But first, it has to discuss alternatives with CUPE. If the two sides can't come to an agreement, then they would refer the dispute for binding resolution from a mediator.
Foley also recommended that in addition to the overall pay hike package, some library workers may receive higher wages for pay equity.
CUPE workers will begin voting on the recommended package on Monday. If they vote for the package, then it will be up to the city to decide if it will also accept the offer.
If both sides accept the recommendations, workers could be back on the job as soon as next Thursday.
That would allow services such as public garbage collection to resume. The city has been without it since July. That's created some dumping in city parks and alleys. There are reports that the city's rat population has increased since the beginning of the strike.
Vancouverites have also been without some outdoor park services, such as Stanley Park's ghost train. Those who wanted to go to the city-run Orpheum Theatre to hear the Vancouver Symphony could still listen to the music. But first they had to wind their way through striking picketers.
If the two sides to come to an agreement, city officials say that they will begin a phased approach to return services back to normal.
