The Town of Bowden's seven employees have voted to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The employees in the town's operations, facilities and bylaw department voted to join the union on Oct. 3 with a vote of four to two as one employee did not vote.
One of the town's seven employees is a seasonal worker.
Andy Weiss, the town's chief administrative officer, said he wasn't aware the employees were looking to join Canada's largest union.
But he said the town's management is hoping for a “long and fruitful” relationship with the union.
Weiss added the town will aim to strike a “balance” between the needs of the employees and the community's finances whenever it sits down to negotiate with the union.
“We'll do our best to accommodate any proposals that are in our capacity to accommodate.”
Lou Arab, a spokesman for the union, said the employees decided to join the union because they wanted support for future negotiations with the town.
“They just wanted a more respectful and even relationship with their employer,” he said, adding informal discussions between the union and the employees began more than a month ago.
