‘Basically a miracle:’ City, CUPE ink four-year deal through renewed relationship
NANAIMO — Both sides of the table say a new approach to bargaining and a significantly improved atmosphere at City Hall led to a long-term deal for the vast majority of the City’s staff.
The City of Nanaimo and CUPE Local 401 ratified a four-year deal this week. The deal covers from Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2022 and includes general wage increases of two per cent per year for the more than 500 unionized staff across all departments.
In past negotiations the City brought in an outside facilitator to represent them at the bargaining table, but this time senior managers dealt directly with the union.
CUPE president Blaine Gurrie said the new approach allowed them to hit the ground running on many “longstanding, lingering issues” and move quickly towards a deal through only seven bargaining sessions.