City council ratifies CUPE contract through 2026

By Medicine Hat News on April 4, 2023.

Most city hall employees now have a new union contract through the end of 2026.

City council ratified the four-year agreement Monday with some 800 inside, outside and transit workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local No. 46.

It provides an across-the-board increase of $1.55 per hour to all classifications, retroactive to the beginning of this year, then a general 2.5 per cent increase to start 2024, 2.25 per cent for 2025 and 2 per cent for 2026.

“It’s a longer-term agreement and it’s fair,” said Coun. Robert Dumanowski, who represents council on labour issues. “It’s well within the submissions seen elsewhere in the province.”

The previous contract will replace an agreement that expired Dec. 31, 2022.

Union members voted last week on the tentative agreement, giving their majority approval. Voting results are typically not released.

Coun. Darren Hirsch said the agreement is in line with inflation and called it a good decision by both the city and the union.

Coun. Andy McGrogan said CUPE members took a two-year wage freeze in 2020 and 2021 “when times were really tough, and this is not a big catch-up.”

The contract is the largest at city hall with four main bargaining units.

The city’s contract with firefighters, represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 263, also expired at the end of last year.

The city reached a four-year deal with the Medicine Hat Police Association in early 2023 after two years of negotiations.

The contract with workers at the power and water treatments plants and the city’s line shop (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, No. 254) will expire at the end of 2023.

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