Earlier month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the April 2025 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In April, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 20 private sector and 19 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 990 and 43,727 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for about two dozen glass and metal workers throughout Alberta who are employed by members of the Glass Employers Association of Alberta.
The workers are represented by Local 177 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
Their previous contract expired at the end of last month. Their new contract, however, is effective as of the end of this month, so it looks like they’ll have a month of work not covered by any changes in the new contract.
This contract runs until April 2027, so it is for less than two years. That’s a month longer than what they had in their last contract: June 2023–April 2025.
This new collective agreement includes wage increases in every one of those two years.
| 31 May 2025 | 2.00% |
| 31 May 2026 | 2.00% |
That’s a combined 4%. This works out to an average of, well, 2% per year.
This is better than the 1.5% raises they received in each year of their last contract; although those increases were below inflation, so these workers are still left with a cut to real wages.
Here are some highlights of things that have changed in this new contract.
The call-out bonus will increase from $125 per week to $175 per week.
The premium for work done from a suspended device, such as swingstages or goatswain chairs, will increase from $3 per hour to $5 per hour.
Hacksaw and vice-grip pliers were removed from the list of tools each journeyperson is supposed to have by the end of their first month on the job.
Pension contributions will increase from $3.00 per hour to $3.05 per hour in the first year and $3.10 in the second year.
Grandparents have been added to the list of family members for whom compassionate leave applies, in the event of their death.
