Earlier this week, I was browsing through the collective bargaining agreement database maintained by the Mediation Services department of the provincial government.
I noticed a new collective agreement for bus drivers employed by the Livingstone Range School Division.
Based out of Fort Macleod, Livingstone Range School Division oversees the operation of public schools in Blairmore, Claresholm, Coleman, Fort Macleod, Granum, Lundbreck, Nanton, Pincher Creek, and Stavely.
They employ about 50 bus drivers to transport students to these schools, which are represented by the Willow Creek School Bus Drivers Association.
The last collective agreement for these bus drivers expired over a year ago, in August 2024.
Workers ratified the new agreement on 29 August 2025. It is effective as of September 2024 and expires in August 2028. Their previous agreement was also for 4 years.
The bus drivers are set to receive wage increases in each year of this new collective agreement, the first two of which are retroactive.
| 1 September 2024 | 3.00% |
| 1 September 2025 | $1.25 |
| 1 September 2026 | 3.00% |
| 1 September 2027 | $1.08 |
This is an interesting set up, with two 3% increases, as well as a $1.25 per hour increase for each worker in the second year and a $1.08 per hour increase in the final year.
The unique increase formula will lead to a combined increase between 15.84% for those in the top step and 16.48% for the bottom step in the wage grid.
Here are some other highlights of changes in the new collective agreement.
As of last month, these workers will now get a health/wellness spending account. The school division will contribute $60.42 per month for each regular route driver to a maximum of $725 per year.
The last agreement stated that no bus driver employed with the school division at the time of ratification would be placed lower than step 3 on the wage grid. That clause has been removed from the new agreement.
Two new allowances were introduced in the new collective agreement: one for drivers who drive an express route to school and the other for drivers who drive a backhaul route from school. Each allowance will be $6.50 per day.
There is also a new cell phone allowance for all regular route drivers. It is $25 per month between September and June, up to a maximum of $250 per year.
Finally, the school division has agreed to establish corporate accounts at vehicle washing providers to allow drivers to wash their buses without incurring out-of-pocket expenses. Drivers who use the corporate accounts, once established, will no longer qualify for the washing allowance outlined in the collective agreement.
