Earlier this 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 two dozen workers employed by Red Deer & District Museum Society, which is responsible for the Red Deer Museum & Art Gallery, also known as MAG.
These workers are represented by Local 417 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
They include collections management coordinators, exhibitions coordinators, educational programs coordinators, marketing associates, receptionists, artists and educators, custodians, visitor services associates, program assistants, marketing coordinators, administrative associates, art curators, and executive assistants.
Their previous contract actually expired at the end of 2022. The new contract was settled back in March, over a year later, but Mediation Services received it only recently.
Each year of the new contract will see these workers getting a wage increase.
| 1 January 2023 | 0.50% |
| 1 January 2024 | 2.00% |
| 1 January 2025 | 2.50% |
| 1 January 2026 | 2.00% |
This works out to a combined wage of 7% over the the life of the 4-year contract. That averages out to 1.75% per year.
These are the first wage increases these workers have received since 2019. It’s also the longest contract they have ever seen, having been working on only yearly contracts prior to this new contract.
Clearly 3 years of wage freezes means these workers have seen their real wages—wages adjusted for inflation—drop during this time.
The consumer price index in Alberta increased from 140.5 in January 2019 to 160.5 in January 2023, an increase of 20 points, or 14.23%. A 7% wage increase won’t even be enough to cover half of that drop, let alone inflation between January 2023 and the end of 2026.
I guess it’s better than more wage freezes.
Here are some highlights of other changes between the new contract and their previous contract.
Under the previous contract, workers had to provide a sick note if they used 9 days of sick leave. That has been removed from the new contract.
New to the contract is that workers won’t be able to accrue sick leave benefits during any leave of absence that is more than 30 days.
The employer is responsible for paying for the cost of any sick notes provided by a medical practitioner; however, now the employer will pay only up to $50; whereas, in the old contract, there was no limit.
In the new contract, the employer has agreed to provide time off with pay for workers to participate in professional development. As well, they may cover travel, accommodation, and other expenses the worker incurs to pursue that professional development.
Under the new contract, the Joint Health and Safety Committee will review the employer’s harassment policy every two years.
