City hall recently signed a new tentative collective bargaining agreement with CUPE Local 9, but one concession the municipality made — and that irked one city councillor — was the phase-out a student pay rate.
The two parties had their final meeting on March 12 and concluded with a tentative agreement. After a long delay due to the coronavirus and physical distancing, CUPE members voted 82 per cent in favour during online voting on May 27 and 28. The four-year agreement guarantees labour costs until 2022.
The total wage package is a six-per-cent increase over four years, including 1.25 per cent on Jan. 1, 2019, 1.5 per cent on Jan. 1, 2020, 1.5 per cent on Jan. 1, 2021 and 1.75 per cent on Jan. 1, 2022. Retro pay will also be awarded to all employees who have resigned, retired or are currently working to the date of the expiry date of the last collective agreement.
During its June 15 regular meeting, city council voted 5-2 to approve the new collective agreement terms. Councillors Brian Swanson and Scott McMann were opposed.
Agreement highlights
This agreement is favourable in comparison to other municipalities’ collective agreements, said Al Bromley, director of human resources.
Some enhancements to employee benefits include:
- Employees on standby on statutory holidays will receive an increase to two hours’ pay from 1.5 hours at their straight-time wage for each eight hours, adding $10,047 in annual costs
- Health and dental enhancements such as vision care of $250 every 24 months, para med coverage at 80-per-cent reimbursement at $500 every 12 months, an increase to basic/major dental maximum to $1,750 every 12 months and an increase to basic dental co-insurance to 90-per-cent reimbursement, adding $66,746 in annual costs
- Effective Jan. 1, 2021, employees with more than 22 years of service receive six weeks of vacation, adding $5,471 to annual costs
Since a one-per-cent increase in wages is equal to $99,473, the cost to the municipality for this agreement is $596,838.
Council discussion
While Swanson appreciated the union’s desire for increased wages, he thought the community was facing difficult economic times and wouldn’t receive any wage increase.
What he found bothersome, though, was how the student pay rate would be phased out by Dec. 31, 2022. He was on council when that council agreed to that stipulation in 1993, so he disliked how CUPE didn’t bring this issue to the personnel committee for negotiations.
While Bromley’s report indicated the student pay rate was “a contentious and unfair practice” where lifeguards and park labourers were paid differently for performing the same job, Swanson pointed out there were zero unfair labour practices launched over this rate.
Moose Jaw’s pools and parks operate at significant financial losses each year, he continued. So, in 1993, in exchange for concessions, the municipality negotiated a student rate for lifeguards and park labourers that lowered costs to operate those places.
“Without any advance notice, we just gave it away. It’s a gratuitous giveaway,” Swanson remarked.
Taxpayers to foot the bill
Bromley’s report indicated that if the parks and rec department hires four high school student lifeguards and 20 student labourers annually, the increase in labour costs would be $40,000 per year. Swanson thought that would be closer to $50,000, which could mean the municipality is giving away more than $246,000 during the next couple of years and taxpayers will foot the bill.
There are other items in the collective agreement that are also important, said Coun. Chris Warren. If the municipality had not given up the student rate, council would have to pay more annually, which would have a ripple effect over time.
“We had a fairly good negotiation that had some give and take from both sides,” he added. “That helps with employee morale and that helps with overall negotiations and dealing with people who work for us.”
The next regular council meeting is June 29.
