Earlier this month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the July 2025 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In July, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 19 private sector and 15 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 2,179 and 4,684 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for about 50 library workers employed by Wood Buffalo Regional Library.
This library is located in Fort McMurray, where it offers a variety of programmes and services, in addition to the services they provide to nearby communities.
Local 2157-01 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees represents these workers, which include pages, librarians (including assistant and associate librarians) coordinators, finance workers, the Indigenous liaison, and systems administrators.
Their previous contract expired in December 2024. Their new contract was ratified this past June, 6 months after the last one expired, which is faster than the 11 months the last contract took.
These workers are set to receive wage increases in every year of their this 3-year collective agreement, which is the same length of their previous 2 agreements.
| 1 January 2025 | 2.75% |
| 1 January 2026 | 1.00% |
| 1 January 2027 | 1.00% |
This will result in a combined increase of 4.75% over the life of the collective agreement, or 4.82% if you account for compounding increases. That averages out to 1.58% (1.61%) per year.
Here is what they received in their previous 2 contracts.
| 1 January 2019 | 0.00% |
| 1 January 2020 | 1.25% |
| 1 January 2021 | 1.25% |
| 1 January 2022 | 1.00% |
| 1 January 2023 | 0.00% |
| 1 January 2024 | 0.00% |
That works out to a combined increase of just 3.50%, or 0.58% per year on average.
For comparison, the consumer price index in Alberta grew 27 points from 138.9 in January 2018 to 165.9 in January 2024, a 19.44% increase.
Because inflation grew 19.44% over the last 2 collective agreements, that 3.50% led to a reduction in real wages of 15.94%.
Their 4.75% raise will still leave them with a 11.19% reduction in wages, when adjusted for inflation. Keep in mind that the 4.75% increase is after 3 years, during which time, there will be even more inflation.
For example, between January 2024 and January 2024, inflation in Alberta had increased by 2.53%, bringing the cut to real wages back to 13.72%, and we still have two more years of inflation to go.
The new contract is retroactive to 1 January 2025.
Here are some highlights of other things that are in this new contract.
Part-time workers used to be anyone who worked between 10 and 20 hours per week. The lower threshold has been reduced to just 9 hours.
Under the previous agreement, management rights were unspecified. The new agreement now specifies them:
- Maintaining order, discipline and efficiency
- Establish, change, and enforce workplace rules and regulations, as long as they do not conflict with this Collective Agreement
- Direct the working force, create new classifications or work units, determine the number of employees needed, and decide whether any job or work unit will continue or be eliminated
- Hire, promote, transfer, lay off, and recall employees as needed
- Demote, discipline, suspend, or dismiss employees for just cause
Seniority used to be based on the number of hours a worker had been employed with the library as a member of CUPE Local 2157 in a full-time or part-time position. Now, hours outside of full-time or part-time (such as student or term) positions will count.
Job posting notices will no longer need to be posted to a notice board. Publishing them in the shared drive and sending them out via email will suffice.
Workers in term conditions will be considered as internal candidates now when applying for open positions. They were considered external candidates in the previous agreement.
The following clause was removed from the collective agreement:
For any work done away from Wood Buffalo Regional Library, as described above, all breaks will be paid, and overtime will not be triggered until after 7½ hours in a day for these assignments only.
The new collective agreement provides for a modified work week, which would be 35 hours per week over 4 or fewer days or 70 hours over 2 weeks. If a workers chooses modified work week, it will become their regular schedule. Paid leaves are not affected by modified work weeks.
Permanent workers who accept a term position that is less than 12 months will still be entitles to their benefits, which was not explicitly stated in the previous contract.
Sick leave can be used for out-of-town medical appointments for dependants. Previously, it was available to just the workers themselves.
Bereavement leave now includes “a person permanently residing in the employee’s household or with whom the employee permanently resides”.
Witness and jury duty applies to all workers now, not just full-time workers.
Workers in permanent positions will be reimbursed now for the cost of getting their required vulnerable sector check and driver’s abstract.
The following leaves have been added to the collective agreement:
| Pall bearer | ½ day |
| Natural disaster | 2 days |
| Exams | 1 day per exam |
| Citizenship | 1 day |
Under the previous collective agreement, birth and maternal leave was simply whatever was “in accordance with the Alberta Employment Standards Code”. It has been become more explicit in the new agreement.
25.01 For the purpose of this Article, Birth Leave is the equivalent of Maternity Leave as outlined in the Alberta Employment Standards Code.
- (a) Birth and/or Parental Leave will be granted to a maximum of up to 18 months of Unpaid Leave. Birth and Parental Leave requests will be in writing and will state the last day to be worked and the expected date of return to work.
- (b) Employees on a Birth and/or Parental Leave will continue to accrue seniority and service for service-related benefit entitlements.
- (c) Employees returning from a Birth and/or Parental Leave will return to their former position or an equivalent position.
25.02 Birth or Adoption Proceedings
Upon reasonable notice being given to the Employer, an employee may be granted 5 working days off, with pay, to attend the birth or adoption proceedings of their child.
In the new agreement, all workers who are not working full time will receive a cost of living allowance of $1.75 for each hour worked, effective 1 July 2025.
Also new in the collective agreement are more details around student employment and work experience programmes.
31.01 This Article outlines the provisions for student employment under Work Experience/Placement Programs, summer student positions, and funded temporary student opportunities such as those supported by government initiatives and organizations like. CAREERS: The Next Generation. These positions are intended to provide meaningful career exposure without affecting the job security of existing Bargaining Unit Employees.
The Employer will notify the Union of institutions and organizations from which these students are recruited.
31.02 Definitions
- Work Experience/Placement Programs: It is agreed by the Parties that Wood Buffalo Regional Library may participate in Work Experience Programs with Alberta post-secondary institutions or community-based nonprofit organizations that enable youth on their career paths.
- Summer Student Positions: temporary, seasonal roles filled by students, discussed with the Union.
- Funded Student Internship Programs: temporary roles supported through external funding (e.g., CAREERS Indigenous Youth Internship) aimed at providing students with early exposure to public library work and careers.
31.03 General Conditions
- Student participants shall not displace or reduce the hours of current Bargaining Unit Employees.
- All paid Student Employees are Union Employees, covered by the Collective Agreement, and shall pay Union dues.
- Union orientation shall be offered to all paid Student Employees.
- Disputes involving Student Employees will follow the grievance and dispute resolution process.
- Participants must meet the funder’s criteria.
- Minimum compensation will be at the Page Start Rate for the duration of employment.
