The city-appointed board of directors at Economic Development Edmonton has rejected a plea by city council to accept binding arbitration to help defuse a five-month-long strike.

In a letter to Mayor Bill Smith signed by EDE board chair Audrey Luft last week, the 15-member board said arbitration isn’t in its best interests in settling the first-contract dispute with workers at the Shaw Conference Centre.

“If the city believes the EDE board consists of persons with the skills necessary to make the difficult decisions associated with this labour dispute, it should not impose directives upon the board,” wrote Luft, noting the EDE board is committed to the principles of independent corporate governance.

Strikers say they’re not surprised by the move.

Members of Local 401 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union have been trying to negotiate a first collective agreement since April 2001. The union was certified as the bargaining agent for all Shaw Conference Centre employees except office, clerical and security staff, but their authority has been challenged twice before the Alberta Labour Relations Board by other Shaw workers attempting to decertify the union.

Luft’s letter is proof of how entrenched the EDE is in ensuring a union doesn’t gain a foothold in the building, says striker Ed Schell, an eight-year employee in the building maintenance department.

“We see it as them painting themselves into a tighter corner,” Schell told Business Edge.

“They’re being stubborn – we’re being patient and persistent.”

About 60 strikers are still on the line, despite some earlier defections. “We’ve actually gained numbers in the last month,” says Schell.

The union is seeking benefits for employees, arguing that many have worked at the conference centre for upwards of 10 years and are still classified as part-time employees.

EDE has offered benefits for full-time employees, defined as those who work a minimum of eight hours a day for at least 40 hours a week. The union has proposed that the number of hours necessary to qualify for benefits be reduced to 32 hours a week.

The union has several bad-faith bargaining complaints pending at the labour board.

EDE operates the Shaw Centre for the City of Edmonton, and officials maintain the strike is having no effect on operations.

The strike has cost EDE more than $1 million, including legal and security costs. EDE says the toll could reach between $1.5 million and $1.9 million by the end of year.