The Town of Peace River in Alberta and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 898 have ratified a new four-year collective agreement to help support the Town’s workforce.
The agreement, effective Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2026, will help to enhance public services, and help to enable predictable salary and benefit costs for multi-year budgeting purposes.
“A significant number of Town employees belong to CUPE and as with all employees work under contracts negotiated with their employer,” says Mayor Elaine Manzer.
“CUPE Local 898 employees generally work in departments outside the town office employees, so those include public works, recreation and water/wastewater departments.”
Manzer says she isn’t positive when employees first joined CUPE but indicated it has been more than a dozen years.
“As a culmination of the negotiations between the Town and union bargaining team and in the spirit of having a better working environment for all workers, there was a pay increase included with other clauses effecting the work,” says Manzer.
“Both the employer and the CUPE employees bring items to the negotiations and sometimes the resolution of these items takes time. Council is very pleased that the collective agreement was ratified for a new four-year term and provides a fair agreement for our employees and ratepayers.”
Manzer says representing skilled utilities, public works, and recreation staff, the four-year contract includes wage increases of 2.4 per cent in 2023, two per cent in 2024, 1.75 per cent in 2025, and 2.6 per cent in 2026.
The purpose of the agreement is to reflect an effort to enhance working conditions and recognizes the dedication of Town employees.
By Emily Plihal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
