Nearly 140 city workers in Saint John were off the job Tuesday morning.

Inside workers represented by CUPE Local 486 have officially begun their strike action.

Union members work in police/fire/911 dispatch, customer service, bylaw enforcement, permitting, recreation, court services, financial services, administrative support, IT and technical roles.

The Saint John Police Force said there will be delays in accessing non-emergency public services.

Police headquarters will remain locked and non-emergency public access will experience disruptions.

However, the police force said 24/7 emergency access will remain available.

Several services are being suspended until further notice, including criminal record checks and fingerprints for the public; requests for collision reports for insurance purposes; and requests and results for access to information.

In addition, residents may experience delays in accessing non-emergency telephone call processing and email inquiries; information about court cases; lost, seized, or found property; and non-provincial victim services.

RELATED: Saint John city workers vote to strike

The union claims the city has been offering a contract which violates its own wage escalation policy.

That policy, approved by council in 2019, said a three-year rolling average of assessment base growth should be used in contract negotiations.

But the city disputes that claim, arguing that it has a “fair and reasonable offer” on the table.

In the event of a strike by CUPE members, the city said it has contingency plans in place to minimize the disruption to public services.

City officials have said there are contingency plans in place to minimize public service disruption during a strike.