Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District workers ratify agreement

Establishes new protections for temporary and casual workers: CUPE

Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District workers ratify agreement
CUPE, Local 118 represents 230 members working at the District of Tofino, District of Ucluelet, City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, all in B.C. Google Street View

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 118 and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) in Port Alberni, B.C. ratified a new collective agreement on July 25 concluding a 10-month negotiation that began in October 2018.

“While there is still work to do, these negotiations achieved new seniority protections for long-serving casuals and temporary staff, which was our goal from day-one,” said Stacy Watton, CUPE 118 president. “We are pleased that the parties came together in time to avert a strike.”

The new five-year agreement is retroactive to July 2018, when the past agreement expired.

Creating seniority recognition and rights for casual and temporary staff was a point of friction between the parties throughout the negotiations. Union members were frustrated that long-serving, qualified temporary and casual workers were being passed over in favour of external hires, even after devoting years of service to the ACRD, said the union.

Frustrated over lack of progress in negotiations, ACRD workers passed a near unanimous strike vote in March. Union members began limited job action in June but held off initiating a full strike pending a last-ditch effort to reach a settlement, said CUPE.

In addition to seniority protections for casual and temporary workers, the new agreement features improvements to vision, eyeglass and dental benefits, and features wage adjustments of 2.25 per cent, two per cent, two per cent, 2.25 per cent and 2.5 per cent respectively across the five-year agreement, said the union.

CUPE, Local 118 represents 230 members working at the District of Tofino, District of Ucluelet, City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, all in B.C. 

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