COURTENAY – CUPE municipal workers and the City of Courtenay have ratified a new collective agreement.
The 80 members of CUPE Local 556 have approved a four-year package that includes wage increases of 2 per cent, 2 per cent, 2.75 per cent and 2.25 per cent respectively and improvements to the fair distribution of work. The city ratified the agreement at a special city council meeting yesterday.
“The city feels that the agreement is fair to employees, considering the current economic climate, length of the agreement, and relative to other public-sector collective agreements”, said Tillie Manthey, Acting Administrator/Director of Financial Services for the city. “On balance, the four-year agreement ensures continuity of service to our citizens for an extended period of time within the city’s current budget,” she added.
CUPE 556 spokesperson Lisa McPherson credited both sides saying, “We worked hard to achieve a fair collective agreement and we are optimistic that the city and the union can now build on our working relationship and move forward from here.”
The new contract runs until December 31, 2014.
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