CUPE Local 528.4 and Municipality of Leamington finalize three-year collective agreement covering pollution control and water division workers

The deal runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028 and includes a $2.00-per-hour flat wage adjustment in year one followed by three-per-cent increases in years two and three, plus updates to benefits, scheduling, and stand-by provisions.

At a glance

Union: Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and its Local 528.4 — Pollution Control Centre and Water Division
Employer: The Corporation of the Municipality of Leamington
Province: Ontario
Term: January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2028
Top wage (2028): $43.96/hr (Pollution Control Centre — Class 4 Operator or Mechanic, after 90 days)
Vacation: Two weeks in year one, scaling to seven weeks at 27 years of service
Benefits: Employer-paid extended health, dental, life insurance, LTD, and OMERS pension

Wages

Pollution Control Centre — Wage Grid (Schedule “A”)

Period	Step	Trainee	Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	Class 4	Mechanic
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026 ($2.00 adjustment)	Start	$29.44	$32.10	$33.26	$34.71	$36.06	$36.06
	After 90 days	$34.30	$36.84	$38.35	$39.93	$41.44	$41.44
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2027 (3%)	Start	$30.32	$33.06	$34.26	$35.75	$37.14	$37.14
	After 90 days	$35.33	$37.95	$39.50	$41.13	$42.68	$42.68
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2028 (3%)	Start	$31.23	$34.05	$35.29	$36.82	$38.25	$38.25
	After 90 days	$36.39	$39.09	$40.69	$42.36	$43.96	$43.96

Millwright Mechanic premium: An additional $2.00/hr over the Class 4 Wastewater Operator rate is paid to any Mechanic who holds a licensed industrial millwright mechanic designation.

Water Division — Wage Grid (Schedule “A”)

Period	Step	Trainee	Class 1	Class 2
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026 ($2.00 adjustment)	Start	$28.63	$31.53	$35.21
	After 90 days	$33.79	$36.72	$41.06
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2027 (3%)	Start	$29.49	$32.48	$36.27
	After 90 days	$34.80	$37.82	$42.29
Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2028 (3%)	Start	$30.37	$33.45	$37.36
	After 90 days	$35.84	$38.95	$43.56

Certification pay: When an employee obtains a higher-class certification, the new rate is applied retroactively to the date of certification. Employees are entitled to up to 16 paid hours per calendar year for testing, certification preparation, and related licensing requirements.

Biweekly pay: Wages are paid biweekly; the employer must give 90 days’ notice before changing the pay day.

Benefits

Life insurance: Two times annual salary to a maximum of $250,000 for active employees; $10,000 for spouse and $5,000 per dependent child; $5,000 for retirees who retired after August 1, 2003
Long-term disability: Employer-paid premium for a plan providing 70 per cent of regular monthly earnings, up to $5,500 per month
Pension: Employer maintains the OMERS pension plan for all employees
Employer Health Tax: Employer pays 100 per cent of the Ontario EHT premium
Extended health: Semi-private hospitalization; $3.00 prescription deductible (active employees) with a $9.00 maximum dispensing fee; vision care up to $500 every 24 months plus one eye exam every 24 months; travel coverage up to 60 days per trip; orthotics up to $500 annually for dependents 17 and under and $500 every 24 months for employees and spouses; fertility drugs lifetime maximum of $5,000; combined chiropractic and massage therapy maximum of $1,200/year with a $10.00 co-pay on the first 15 visits per modality; combined allied health maximum (psychologist, osteopath, speech therapy, podiatrist, chiropodist, naturopath, holistic, acupuncturist) of $2,500 per calendar year
Dental: Nine-month recall (six months for dependents 17 and under); 50 per cent orthodontic reimbursement to a lifetime maximum of $2,000; current Ontario Dental Association fee schedule; prosthodontic/denture coverage at 80 per cent to a maximum of $2,000 every five years
Prescription safety glasses: Up to $300 every two years for employees requiring prescription safety lenses
Retiree benefits: Employees retiring on or after August 1, 2003 continue to receive negotiated health and dental benefits; those hired after March 31, 2012 have retiree benefits capped at the end of the month in which they turn 65
Benefit continuation on layoff/illness: Employer premiums continue for the month of layoff and three months following; on-the-job injury coverage continues for a period equivalent to the employee’s full-time credited service
Surviving spouse coverage: Health and dental coverage continues for the surviving spouse and eligible dependents for a period equivalent to the employee’s full-time service

Hours, Overtime and Scheduling

Pollution Control Centre

Regular hours: Five consecutive eight-hour days, Monday to Friday, with two paid 15-minute rest breaks
Scheduled shifts (plant operations): Days (0700–1500), afternoons (1400–2200), midnights (2200–0600), Assistant Plant Operator (0700–1530), Spare Operator (multiple windows), Maintenance Mechanic (0700–1530); plant operator shifts include a paid half-hour lunch; other shifts have an unpaid half-hour lunch
Biosolids shifts: One, two, or three shifts — days (0600–1400), afternoons (1400–2200), midnights (2200–0600) — each with a paid half-hour lunch when conditions permit
Shift rotation: Two weeks on midnight shift; one-week rotations for other shifts; day shift rotates three or four weeks at management’s discretion
Afternoon shift premium: $0.75/hr for shifts between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. (not payable during overtime)
Midnight shift premium: $1.00/hr for shifts between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (not payable during overtime)
Overtime rate: Two times base rate for all work outside regularly scheduled hours, weekends, paid holidays, or approved emergencies
Lieu time: Up to 80 hours per calendar year; carried-forward lieu time must be taken or paid out by June 30
Planned overtime: Offered first to the qualified employee with the fewest recorded overtime hours; ties broken by seniority; refused hours are charged as if worked
Call-out minimum: Four hours’ pay at the applicable rate; a second call within two hours of a prior call-out does not trigger a new minimum
Stand-by pay: $45.00 per day; annual seniority-based rotation; Christmas Week and New Year’s Week assigned by separate numbered rotation
Rest period after extended work: Four continuous hours of pre-shift work triggers a six-hour rest; six continuous hours triggers an eight-hour rest; overlap with the next scheduled shift or vacation day is paid at the regular rate
Schedule posting: At least two weeks in advance
Clothes-change allowance: Ten minutes at quitting time

Water Division

Regular hours: Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with two paid 15-minute breaks and an unpaid half-hour lunch
Overtime rate: Two times base rate; monthly overtime list posted
Call-out minimum: Same four-hour minimum as the Pollution Control Centre
Stand-by pay: $45.00 per day; seniority-based rotation starting January 2024; Christmas and New Year’s Weeks assigned starting employee numbers #6 and #7 respectively
ORO premium: $5.50/hr when an employee serves as Overall Responsible Operator; offered by seniority on a rolling basis
Lieu time: 80-hour annual cap; June 30 carry-forward deadline
Rest period after extended work: Same four-hour/six-hour triggers as the Pollution Control Centre
Schedule posting: Minimum two weeks in advance

Leaves and Time Off

Vacation Entitlement

Years of Service	Vacation Weeks
Year 1 (prorated on start date)	Up to 2 weeks
Year 2	2 weeks
Year 3–7	3 weeks
Year 8–12	4 weeks
Year 13–19	5 weeks
Year 20–26	6 weeks
Year 27+	7 weeks

Vacation must generally be taken in the year earned; up to one week may carry over with manager approval
Employees with more than 20 earned days who take at least 20 in the same year may bank up to 10 additional days per year
Requests submitted by December 1 are granted by seniority; later requests go to the first employee to submit
Vacation entitlement is reduced by one-twelfth for each full calendar month of absence, with exemptions for approved paid leaves, Union business, pregnancy/parental leave, WSIB absences up to 90 days, and absences drawn from sick leave banks

Paid Holidays

Holiday
New Year’s Day
Family Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
Civic Holiday
Labour Day
Thanksgiving Day
Remembrance Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
Day before Christmas
Day before New Year’s

Holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday are observed the following Monday. Employees must work the scheduled day before and after a holiday to qualify for holiday pay, with exceptions for layoff, verified illness, or authorized leave commencing within 30 calendar days of the holiday.

Other Leaves

Bereavement — immediate family: Up to five paid working days for the death of a parent, spouse, child, stepchild, or sibling (must include the day of the funeral or memorial)
Bereavement — extended family: Up to three paid working days for a mother- or father-in-law, grandparent, step-sibling, sibling-in-law, grandchild, step-parent, son- or daughter-in-law, or grandparent-in-law
Pallbearer leave: One paid day per funeral, maximum two per calendar year, with manager approval
Bereavement — other relatives: Minimum one paid day with manager approval
Jury duty / court witness: Employer tops up to normal earnings (excluding travel and meals); court witness time in employment-related matters is treated as time worked
Family illness leave: Up to five paid days per calendar year for a seriously ill parent, spouse, child, or close relative
Union leave — conventions/conferences: Unpaid leave for a reasonable period; Union business requests take priority
Union leave — negotiations: Paid during regular hours; unpaid after conciliation or mediation
Union leave — grievances: Paid time with manager permission
Union leave — arbitration: Unpaid with seven days’ notice where possible
Personal leave: Minimum 48 hours’ written notice; benefit coverage may continue up to 12 months if the employee pays the full premium
Sick leave: Earned at 1.5 days per month when the employee works at least 50 per cent of scheduled days; fully accumulable; medical certificate required after four consecutive days; suspended during LTD or WSIB receipt; up to five days per year may be used for a sick or injured parent, spouse, or child

Other Highlights

Job Security, Layoff and Recall

No seniority employee may be laid off as a result of subcontracting (Article 26)
Layoffs follow reverse-seniority order within each division; recall proceeds in reverse layoff order
No new hires at a division until all qualified laid-off seniority employees have been offered recall
Transfers between divisions carry credited service without loss
Seniority is lost after 36 months on layoff without recall, or after failing to return within 10 calendar days of a registered-mail recall notice
Job postings for vacancies lasting at least six months must remain up five working days; awarded on qualifications and seniority

Grievance and Arbitration Procedure

Grievances must be filed in writing within seven calendar days of the occurrence
Step I: Manager meets with the employee and union representative within four days and issues a written decision within five days
Step II: Appeal to Director of Infrastructure Services within five calendar days
Step III: Director meets within four days and decides within five days
Step IV: Appeal to CAO within four calendar days; CAO hears within five days and decides within seven days
Discipline grievances start at Step IV
Union has 10 calendar days from the CAO’s decision to refer to a three-person Board of Arbitration; decisions are final and binding; chair costs split equally
Disciplinary notices are removed from an employee’s file after 24 months without further discipline
All time limits are mandatory; extensions require mutual agreement

Health and Safety

The employer must observe all reasonable safety precautions and supply necessary safety equipment, in compliance with Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (Article 23.12)
Employees must cooperate in accident prevention and make safety recommendations to the employer
Biosolids operators may not leave the Pollution Control Centre until properly relieved or until the operation is shut down with supervisor approval
Rest-period protections after extended shifts (Articles 16.10 and 17.07) guard against unsafe consecutive hours of work
Uniforms and protective gear provided: shirts and pants (PCC, laundered by employer); hard hats, rubber boots, rain/winter wear, safety T-shirts, safety vests, safety gloves, and sweatshirts (both divisions); coveralls (Water Division only); safety footwear reimbursed up to $500 annually; worn or damaged items replaced on surrender

Non-Discrimination

The employer agrees not to discriminate against, coerce, restrain, or restrict any employee for exercising rights under the agreement (Article 8.03)
New or altered workplace rules must be posted on bulletin boards at least seven calendar days before taking effect (Article 8.02)

Source Document

This article is based on the collective agreement between the Corporation of the Municipality of Leamington and CUPE Local 528.4 (Pollution Control Centre and Water Division), signed December 17, 2025, and in effect January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028.