Municipal workers in Oliver have ratified a new four-year agreement with the Town of Oliver.
A settlement was reached Wednesday evening and comes after the local had taken a 100 per cent strike vote last month. "After a very tough round of bargaining, we are pleased
that we have a new collective agreement that is both fair and
reasonable," said CUPE 608 unit-chair Karen Nelson. "CUPE 608 members
want the community to know that they held the well being of the
community at the front of their concerns throughout our negotiations. We
are very happy to be able to continue providing quality public services
to a community we love." The settlement includes wage increases of two per cent,
1.75 per cent, 1.75 per cent and two per cent in each of the four years
as well as a boot allowance, an increase in shift premiums and the
addition of bio-hazard pay for workers who maintain the sewer system. Rachel Champagne, a member of the CUPE bargaining
committee, said that there were many miscommunications throughout
negotiations. "Once we started negotiating directly with council and management it became much easier to work out a deal," said Champagne. CUPE 608 represents 24 inside and outside workers in
the Town of Oliver. Members do a variety of work from maintaining roads
and water and sewer systems, to conducting building inspections to
clerical duties at Town Hall. The new contract runs until Dec. 31, 2014.
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