By Andrew Bates | The Telegraph-Journal
The City of Saint John’s new agreement with its outside workers will offer a 3.1 per cent average annual raise over five years, or about 15.5 per cent over the length of the deal.
The collective bargaining agreement between the city and CUPE Local 18, which represents Saint John’s outside workers, was ratified Monday night at a special common council meeting. The city announced last Tuesday that it had reached a deal with its outside workers, who have been out of contract since January.
“It’s excellent, excellent work by both the teams,” Mayor Donna Reardon told Brunswick News afterwards, saying the negotiation “moved along quickly.”
At the meeting Monday, the city’s human resources commissioner Stephanie Hossack said that the bargaining unit includes “direct customer-facing services” and internal services, some of which operate 24 hours per day. That includes water and wastewater, parks maintenance, street maintenance including plowing and potholes and garbage collection, Hossack said.
“These front-line services are critical to the citizens of Saint John,” Hossack said.
Hossack said the city’s bargaining mandate was set by council on Nov. 16. The city’s goals in bargaining were “enhancing structural flexibility, increasing employee productivity and maintaining financial stability,” Hossack said, adding that she felt the new deal met those goals. She credited Ian Fogan, Kevin Loughery, Andrew McGuire, Steven Gould, Daniel Grant, James Thibodeau, Chris Bacon and CUPE’s national rep Michael Meahan for their work during the negotiations.
“It was not always easy, however negotiations were always respectful,” Hossack said. “I sincerely appreciate the dedication and professionalism of the entire team.”
The proposed wage increases include a two-per-cent increase dated to Jan. 1 and a second two-per-cent increase for July 1, a 3.5-per-cent increase in 2026, three per cent in 2027 and 2.5-per-cent increases in 2028 and 2029. That amounts to an average of 3.1 per cent annually or 15.5 per cent over the length of the contract, Hossack told Brunswick News.
Terms of the agreement include requirements to maintain a minimum of 235 staff, more flexibility to add temporary staff during a long-term absence, changes to meal and tool allowances, an incentive for working on Christmas and Boxing Day and changes to sick leave for newly hired employees, Hossack said.
Deputy Mayor John MacKenzie said it was great work from both sides to get the deal done in 11 bargaining meetings, saying it shows “commitment, dedicated and professionalism. Ward 4 Coun. Paula Radwan said it “looks like a real partnership coming to fruition,” noting that Local 18 had taken zeros in the past when the city was trying to make cutbacks.
Ward 1 Coun. Greg Norton asked for examples to explain what changes to levels of service residents will see. CAO Brent McGovern said there will be some productivity improvements, including having people work on statutory holidays that he said “brings better alignment” by ensuring staff and managers are working on the same days. He said that the changes are “minor tweaks overall,” and that the city would consider service levels in the 2026 budget process.
Reardon said that she’s had a “good experience” working with Local 18 over her time with the city, and added that it’s “not surprising” to see the city and the union come to an agreement quickly.
After the meeting, the mayor said that the increases fit within the city’s wage escalation policy.
“The cost of living’s going up, as well, so you can’t expect your wages not to,” Reardon said.
Brunswick News has reached out to CUPE and did not receive a response by press deadline.
