City and CUPE reach agreement

JOINT NEWS RELEASE - Distributed June 29, 2018 10:00 AM

City of Nanaimo and CUPE Reach Agreement

The City of Nanaimo and CUPE Local 401 have successfully reached a collective agreement to replace the previous one which expired at the end of 2016.

Covering 2017 and 2018, the new agreement is a two-year deal providing general wage increases of 2 per cent for each year of the agreement, effective January 1 of each year. As part of the settlement, the parties have agreed to schedule bargaining dates for the next collective agreement before January 18, 2019.

"This really was a good option for the City and our employees, given the upcoming election and the length of time that's passed since the agreement expired," said John Van Horne, Director of Human Resources, "Both parties still have issues that they'll want to discuss at the bargaining table in early 2019, if they can't be resolved before that, so it's important that we use this settlement to build momentum toward that."

"We are happy to conclude the expired agreement and get the past settled,” said Blaine Gurrie, President of Local 401, “Moving forward we are hopeful that the parties can achieve a renewed agreement in early 2019 that can provide stability to our members as the city looks to retool or reset."

"Council is pleased to have an agreement with CUPE Local 401,” said Mayor McKay, “We certainly appreciate all the work performed by the membership and their on-going dedication to the citizens we all serve. I also wish to thank the bargaining committees on both sides of the table for their diligence and respectful working relationship."

"I am very happy that the City and CUPE have come to an agreement that will extend to December 31 2018,” said Councillor Diane Brennan, “This agreement will allow the new council to put their own stamp on relations with our CUPE staff in the new year."

CUPE Local 401 represents approximately 600 municipal employees at the City of Nanaimo.

Print News Release