Eighty local CUPE workers and the City of Nelson have ratified a new three-year contract.
The deal, reached this past Monday evening by reps from CUPE Local 339 and City administration, will last until December 31, 2015. The last contract expired January 1 of this year. Negotiations on the latest deal started in April.
The City says the new agreement provides a wage increase that strikes a balanced outcome for workers, while helping reduce costs associated with sick leave, and at the same time providing benefit improvements for workers, The City says that all this has been accomplished on a cost-neutral basis with no additional impact on taxpayers.
The 80 CUPE workers — 70 of them full time, 10 of them casual — will see a two per cent wage increase beginning mid-year for 2013, 2014 and 2015. That will result in an overall increase of 5.1 per cent over the life of the contract.
There are four other union contracts remaining for the City and its workers to ratify.
The City is still negotiating with its IBEW staff, after the last contract expired at the end of 2011. The contract with Nelson Library workers is up for renegotiation, as are deals for Nelson Fire and Rescue members and Nelson City Police. The Fire Department’s contract expired at the end of 2011. The police contract expired at the end of 2012.