by Laura Walz [email protected] City of Powell River and Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 798, officials announced that they have ratified a new collective agreement.
The announcement came by way of a news release issued just after noon on Tuesday, November 1.
According to the release, the three-year agreement allows the city to realize significant cost efficiencies in its operations while still allowing CUPE members general wage increases of one per cent in both 2010 and 2011 and 2.25 per cent in 2012. Among other items, Local 798 members will convert to a carrier for short-term disability coverage and move forward on long awaited changes to job descriptions and associated wage adjustments.
Danielle Craigen, CUPE Local 798 president, stated in the release that the union is pleased to have an agreement after almost two years of hard, but productive, bargaining. “For our 150 municipal workers, this new three-year agreement gives us important new improvements in both language for job evaluations and improved sick coverage for all our members.”
Stan Westby, the city’s chief administrative officer, acknowledged the negotiations were prolonged. “Despite the length of time taken, we were once again quite satisfied with the level of collaboration during the talks,” he stated in the release. “Council and the local were both patient and interested in learning about the rationale behind management’s approach. Council had a strong mandate to show cost improvement during these times of fiscal restraint, so we’re pleased that the agreement contains savings for the city as well as improvements for employees.”
Westby said he would provide details about the “cost efficiencies” in the near future.
The collective agreement between the city and CUPE Local 798 covers the period from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012.
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