Watson Lake Coun. Cynthia Kearns is not commenting on a call for her resignation.

Reached this morning about the demand put forth by the Yukon Employees Union, Kearns said she wasn’t at liberty to discuss it right now, but that “it’s being dealt with.” She would not comment beyond that.

The union demanded her resignation Thursday in light of comments she made at a meeting of council which was meant to be in-camera, but was instead broadcast via webcast.

What was meant to be an “in-camera” meeting was held following the council’s regular session which is broadcast live to the town. The camera wasn’t turned off as it was supposed to be and the discussion could be viewed by anyone on the Internet.

In an interview this morning YEU president Steve Geick said after the June 18 broadcast, the union received a number of calls from both its members and residents of Watson Lake taking issue with comments Kearns had made.

They complained that Kearns had made “disparaging” remarks about two senior employees for the town, stating they weren’t worthy of a proposed raise in pay.

In a statement Thursday, Geick commented: “Naming individual workers in such a derogatory manner, whether behind closed doors or during a live broadcast shows poor judgement and a fundamental disrespect of the town’s staff.

“Clearly, Ms. Kearns is not able to fulfill the duties of her role as councillor in an impartial and effective manner. She needs to step down immediately.”

At a meeting held between the two employees who were named and Watson Lake’s chief administrative officer on June 30, the two staffers were told to simply disregard Kearn’s comments with the issue to end there with no follow-up required, Geick said.

The employees and union disagree. The union is now demanding a “full and formal apology” from mayor and council as well as Kearns’ resignation.

Geick said this morning a further complicating factor is the negotiations underway for the collective agreement – which was likely the subject of discussion at the June 18 meeting. While the union is waiting for mayor and council to sign off on the agreement so union members can then vote on whether to ratify it, this may impact that situation.

He argued while council has the final signing authority for the town on the collective agreements, for the most part they are to remain at arm’s length on such matters.

In the spirit of collective bargaining, he noted, there should not have been any individuals named during council discussions on the deal.

For now, he said, the union will wait to hear back from Watson Lake’s town council on the matter.