Previous deal expired in 2011
About 80 workers with the City of Amos, Que., have a collective agreement March 7.
Their previous agreement had expired on Dec. 31, 2011, however, the wage clause had been renewed for the years 2012 to 2015. The texts of the normative clauses were revised for the entire collective agreement, which explains the length of the negotiation period. This new collective agreement covers the years 2016 to 2023, according to the union, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Employees get wage increases averaging 2.44 per cent for the years 2011 to 2019, with wage clauses to be negotiated for 2020 to 2023.
At the normative level, there have been several gains, including: union leaves are increased from 25 to 30 days a year; accumulated banked hours have also been increased; floating days may be taken in hours rather than by the day or half day; sick days can be taken in 30-minute increments and are payable at 100 per cent, said the union.
Union members also got improvements to social benefits, team leader bonuses and retention bonuses, said CUPE.
“The parties have agreed to meet to reach an agreement on adjustments to insurance protections in order to reduce the cost, but overall we believe that it’s a good agreement; 96 per cent of the union members voted in favour of this agreement,” said Marjolaine Boutin, CUPE representative.
With more than 110,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents about 70 per cent of the province’s municipal employees, or 31,600 members.
