Last month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the September–October 2024 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In the months of September and October, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 36 private sector and 31 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 3,408 and 4,855 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for about 140 workers employed by the Municipality of Jasper.
These workers are represented by Local 1458 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and include a wide variety of positions, including erly childhood educators, lifeguards, arena operators, groundskeepers, custodians, recycling and waste workers, clerks, receptionists, coordinators, wastewater treatment operators, and tradepersons.
Their previous contract actually expired at the end of 2023. The new contract was settled back in April, 4 months after the previous one expired.
Interestingly, at the start of the previous contract, there were only 80 workers covered by that contract. That means 60 more people are now employed with the Municipality of Japer as unionized workers.
These workers will get wage increases in each year of their new 3-year contract.
| 2024 | 2.5% |
| 2025 | 2.5% |
| 2026 | 3.5% |
This works out to a combined wage of 8.5% over the full 3 years, or 8.74% if you account for compounding increases. That averages out to 2.83% (2.91%) per year.
This is better than what they got in their previous contract.
| 2021 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 1.25% |
| 2023 | 2.50% |
Definitely, 8.5% is way better than 3.75%. That being said, there is some important context to keep in mind before celebrating.
In January 2020, the last time these workers received a wage increase prior to this last contract, the consumer price index for Alberta sat at 144.7.
By the time they got their 2.5% raise in January 2023, the CPI had risen to 160.5. That’s an increase of 15.8, or 10.92%.
Clearly, if 8.5% is larger than 3.75%, then 10.92% must be even larger!
Because inflation outstripped wage increases (by nearly triple) during the last collective agreement, these workers were left with a cut to real wages—wages adjusted for inflation—of 7.17%!
Now, the good news is that a 8.5% raise will definitely make up for that 7.17% loss in real wages.
The bad news, however, is that 8.5% is spread out over 3 years, which means that the 1.33% left over after we subtract the loss in real wages from the 3-year wage increase is somehow supposed to cover inflation over 3 years.
That’s impossible.
I mean, the inflation between January 2023 and January 2024 alone was 3.36%. And inflation between January and November of this year was 2.59%.
Looks like these workers are going to be playing catch up in the next contract, too.
Anyhow, here are some highlights of other changes between the new contract and their previous contract.
The harassment policy has been expanded to include specific areas where workers are not to be discriminated or harassed based off of. It also defines what qualifies as harassment and what qualifies as sexual harassment.
Probationary periods for part-time continuous, seasonal, term, and extended term workers will be either 3 months or 488 hours, whichever is later. In the previous contract, it was up to 6 months.
In the event of a layoff, the employer must inform the union, who they will meet with and rationalize the layoff. This requirement was not in the previous contract.
Workers employed in childcare services have been added to the list of departments whose workdays are 8 hours long and workweeks are 40 hours long.
A new section has been added to cover time in lieu of overtime pay. Such agreements must be initiated by the worker, not the employer, and the agreement is voluntary: neither party can be compelled to enter the agreement. Workers can bank hours under this agreement to a maximum of 40. Anything beyond 40 hours must be paid 1.75% the base rate.
The section that allowed seasonal and part-time continuous workers can now qualify for vacation accrual has been removed.
A shift premium has been added to the collective agreement for hours worked between midnight and 05:00. Anyone working during that timeslot will receive and additional $2 per hour on top of their base pay for the hours worked during that period.
The agreement has been altered to specify that workers must be regularly scheduled to work 15 hours or more per week to qualify for health benefits. Before, it just said “eligible”.
