All out-of-scope employees with the City of Moose Jaw — including members of city administration — will receive a combined pay raise of 3.25 per cent over the next two years.
During the Jan. 25 regular meeting, city council voted 5-2 to increase salaries for 41 out-of-scope (OOS) employees by 1.50 per cent starting Jan. 1, 2021, and 1.75 per cent from Jan. 1, 2022. The pay increase for this year will cost $56,378 and has been included in the 2021 budget.
Councillors Dawn Luhning and Heather Eby were opposed.
Increases to remunerations and benefits for OOS staff have historically been tied to settlements with CUPE Local 9, a council report explained. On June 15, 2020, council approved a pay hike and additional vacation time for CUPE staff, including a combined salary increase of six per cent from 2019 to 2022 and additional vacation time for long-serving employees.
Although council approved the salary increase for CUPE employees during that meeting, it decided to let the new council determine and approve the pay hikes for OOS staff for 2021 and 2022.
Out-of-scope staff are generally the formal appointed leaders at city hall, including the strategic leadership team, managers, and supervisors, and are an integral component of the team that manages the city’s activities on behalf of council, the report continued.
“These leaders play a critical role in the success of our organization and their leadership helps to reach the highest level possible, as resources allow, to maximize efficiency, effectiveness and economy as the city strives to achieve its organizational goals,” added the report.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 1.
