Council OKs four-year deal for power, water plant workers

By Medicine Hat News on July 9, 2025.

@MedicineHatNews

Power and water treatment plant workers in Medicine Hat have a new contract to replace one that expired at the end of 2023.

City council approved the four-year deal that was negotiated with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local No. 254, on Monday night by an 8-0 margin

It provides annual wage increases of 3 per cent until it expires at the end of 2027, and was the result of “good faith bargaining,” according to council’s representative on labour issues, Coun. Robert Dumanowski.

Coun. Darren Hirsch said talks held over 18 months show that both sides did a lot of “heavy lifting” toward a new deal.

A separate agreement between line shop workers represented by IBEW and the city’s power distribution department was ratified in late 2024. That four-year deal provides raises between 2 and 2.5 per cent until the end of 2027.

Those increases compare with two agreements ratified last month between Local 254 and the City of Calgary and that city’s power production company, Enmax,

As reported on Tuesday by the News, about 600 workers in Calgary’s two bargaining units will earn either an additional 9.5 per cent over three years or 23 per cent over five years.

9
-8