March 10, 2016
Toronto City Council today approved new collective agreements with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79, which represents 21,000 active inside workers. The new collective agreements are reasonable, affordable and allow the City to respond more effectively to the needs of Toronto residents and businesses.
"I am very pleased to have achieved new collective agreements with both CUPE locals that acknowledge the great work of our hardworking employees while taking into account the financial realities of the City," said Mayor John Tory. "We can now move forward and provide our residents and businesses with the services they require.”
The agreements approved at today's Special Council meeting are four-year contracts (January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019) which reflect the City's bargaining objectives and are within the bargaining mandate set by the City's Employee and Labour Relations Committee.
The new collective agreements with Local 79 provide employees with a wage increase of 1.25 per cent per year plus a 0.25 per cent lump sum in 2019. It phases out the job security provision for employees with less than 15 years seniority by December 31, 2019 and updates the long-term disability and sick leave programs to bring them more in line with institutional comparators and provide for a more sustainable benefit. These agreements also include a move to mandatory generic drugs and allows changes that will help control the City's escalating costs in relation to the orthotics benefits it provides to its employees.
“While these were difficult rounds of bargaining, ultimately we were able to reach and ratify these collective agreements without a labour disruption," said Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong. “That is a testament to the hard work and effort of both bargaining committees. I thank them for their efforts in delivering the changes that will help us better run the City.”
CUPE Local 79 represents four bargaining units: Full-time, Part-time B, Recreation Workers and Long-Term Care Homes and Services. A new agreement for the Long-Term Care Homes and Services Unit was not part of what was approved today at City Council. Those negotiations have proceeded to binding arbitration, a process through which the arbitrator will determine the final details of a new agreement for that unit. The workers in the Long-Term Care Homes and Services Unit are deemed essential services and therefore are unable to engage in labour disruption activities.
Last month, the City reached a final agreement with Local 416 that was also ratified by the union membership and approved by City Council.
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