Earlier this month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the March 2025 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In March, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 14 private sector and 23 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 1,560 and 12,565 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for about 120 workers employed by the Calgary Opera Association, including riggers, spotlight operators, carpenters, fly operators, and those working in props, electrical, sound, makeup, hair, and wardrobe.
These workers are represented by Local 212 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts, otherwise known as IATSE.
The Calgary Opera Association is, of course, a professional opera company based in Calgary.
The previous contract doesn’t expire until June 2025, so it looks like they’re getting a head start on this new contract, which doesn’t come into effect until July.
The new collective agreement is for 5 years, which is more than the 3-year term in the previous agreement.
These workers are set to receive wage increases in each year of their new contract:
| 1 July 2025 | 5.00% |
| 1 July 2026 | 3.00% |
| 1 July 2027 | 3.00% |
| 1 July 2028 | 4.00% |
| 1 July 2029 | 5.00% |
This works out to a combined increase of 20% over the course of their new contract, or 21.64% if you account for compound increases. That’s an annual average rise of 4% (4.33%).
Here’s a look at what else has changed between the previous collective agreement and the new one.
The new collective agreement has a new article on casual workers:
- The terms and conditions of casual Employees shall be as hereinafter set forth in this Article: Where the Employer deems necessary, additional personnel may be engaged on a casual basis.
- The parties agree that, to facilitate training and development of individuals, working in pursuit of a career in technical theatre, the Employer may partner a maximum of one ( 1) Trainee worker to each Department with the appropriate Head’s agreement. The Trainee must be acquired from the Union dispatch office unless mutually agreed otherwise. In this case a permit may be granted by the Union for the specific period of training required.
- The Employer and the Union shall, in concert with the Trainee, prepare a Training Goals Statement and a Training/Work Schedule prior to the engagement of the Trainee. The Employer and the partnered Employee must approve the Statement and Schedule.
- The Trainee shall perform work, as scheduled and assigned, with as much supervision as the partnered Employee, in consultation with the Technical Director, deems necessary in order to preserve the integrity of the work to be done and to facilitate proper training.
- The engagement of Trainees shall never result in the layoff or displacement of any Union member.
- All Trainees shall be paid in accordance to this Collective Agreement and shall be bound by the conditions contained herein.
- By agreement of the Employer and the Union, the Employer may use trainees in any area under the jurisdiction of the Union provided such trainees are part of a work experience program and/or demonstrate specialized skills and a desire to work in the industry. Trainee positions are not meant to displace an IATSE member, but be an additional position. The Employer will consult with the appropriate Department Head before putting a trainee under their supervision
The 15-minute break between the 2nd and 3rd hours of each 4 hours worked has been increased to 20 minutes.
In the previous contract, any hours worked between midnight and 08:00 were paid at 1.5 times the regular pay rate. This has increased to double time.
The following has been added to the section on respectful workplaces:
All Union Members and Opera Staff agree that a safe working environment includes a workplace free of harassment and workplace violence. Harassment occurs when an individual is subjected to unwelcome verbal or physical conduct because of a protected ground under Alberta’s Human Rights Act.
Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to:
- verbal abuse or threats
- unwelcome remarks, jokes, innuendoes about a person’s body, attire, age, marital status, ethnic or national origin, religion or sexual orientation;
- displaying of pornographic, racist or other offensive materials;
- practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment; unwelcome invitations or requests, whether indirect or explicit;
- leering, whistling or other similar gestures;
- comments, suggestions, innuendoes, requests or demands of a sexual nature;
- unnecessary physical contact such as touching, patting, pinching, punching;
- indecent exposure;
- Deliberate misgendering;
- Psychological bullying that creates fear or mistrust or that ridicules or devalues the individual (e.g. fist shaking, yelling)
- Some examples are: Cyberbullying (e.g. posting of intimidating messages through social media or email) Deliberately setting the individual up to fail (e.g. making unreasonable demands, setting impossible deadlines, interfering with work).
The Employer RRSP contributions has increased from 4% to 5%.
