Retroactive pay, wage hikes part on new deal: CUPE
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 116 members working at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver ratified a tentative agreement on June 18 that was first reached with the employer on June 9.
“This was a productive round of bargaining and we were happy to present to our members an agreement that improved both their working conditions and the content of the collective agreement,” said Dave Lance, CUPE 116 president.
The agreement provides for wage increases of two per cent in each year of the agreement and includes retroactive pay, said the union.
As well as clarifying and improving existing language, highlights of the agreement include improved access to benefits and to regular employment for CUPE 116 auxiliary members, the development of an apprenticeship incentive fund designed to encourage and facilitate more apprenticeships on campus for CUPE 116 members and provide financial support during their apprenticeship, a pilot project to support sustainable transportation initiatives to help offset commuting costs for lower-earning employees at UBC and an increase in the health spending account for members who are on extended health benefits, said CUPE.
The new contract also includes an increased premium for weekends and shiftwork, as well as gasfitting ticket holders and new language for leave for the birth or adoption of a new child and domestic violence leave, said the union.
CUPE 116 represents about 2,500 support staff at UBC. This agreement covers about 2,300 of their members who work as tradespeople, technicians, service workers, food-service workers and employees who work in the bookstore, who provide campus security and who manage parking.
The term of the new agreement is April 1, to March 31, 2022, said the union.
