In a meeting of Lethbridge City Council last month, the mayor and all 8 members of city council unanimously approved a new 4-year contract for the workers employed at the The City of Lethbridge Water Treatment Plant.
Their previous contract is set to expire at the end of this month.
The workers, which belong to Local 955 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, won a 10% raise over the life of the contract.
| 1 Jan 2023 | 3.00% |
| 1 Jan 2024 | 2.00% |
| 1 Jan 2025 | 2.25% |
| 1 Jan 2026 | 2.75% |
Their previous contract was also for 4 years and included 1.0%, 1.5%, 1.5%, and 2.0% wage increases during the life of the contract.
The new contract also increases the shift differential—when workers are scheduled evenings and weekends—from an extra $1.25 an hour to $1.50 an hour.
Unfortunately, the new contract eliminates employer contributions to the National Training Fund on behalf of workers.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was added as a new statutory holiday in the new contract, bringing the total number of statutory holidays in the contract to 13.
As well, the new contract updated wording around grievance procedures, statutory holidays, and vacation banking.
