The city has ratified an agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 70 that includes an 11 per cent wage increase over four years.
91.7 per cent of members of the city’s largest union voted in favour of the new agreement on November 5th, which impacts more than 900 city employees. Funding for the agreement is part of the city’s current operating budget.
Mayor Blaine Hyggen says the CUPE employees in the city are a vital part of the city, doing jobs that range from fixing water main breaks to taking care of our parks and cleaning the city’s arenas. Hyggen adds the city’s bargaining team and members of CUPE Local 70 worked hard to reach an agreement that is fair to both the employees and taxpayers.
“Again we appreciate all of the work those CUPE individuals do,” Hyggen tells mylethrbidgenow.com. “A lot of times we don’t notice it, but you do notice if your garbage doesn’t get picked up or if you can’t go skating at the rinks or many other things, it is important to know that those folks do incredible work for our community.”
A statement from the President of CUPE Local 70 Susan Gouw reads, “Council putting the right resources in the right places means we can continue meeting the needs of the people of Lethbridge because our work and the dedication of our members makes our city work.”
According to city officials, the new agreement is in line with other recent union negotiations the municipality has been part of. Between 2023 and 2026 CUPE employees will see an 11 per cent increase retroactively, with a three per cent increase in 2023, a 2.75 per cent increase in 2024 and 2026 and a 2.5 per cent increase in 2025.
The labour negotiations between CUPE and the municipality have been ongoing since March 2023, with the two parties having met 29 times and taking part in third-party mediation to reach this agreement. The last agreement between the two groups expired on December 31st, 2022.
