York Region, CUPE Local 905 ratify five-year agreement

Newmarkettoday.ca
June 3, 2022

The Regional Municipality of York is pleased to announce the ratification of a renewal collective agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 905, York Region Unit (YRU).

“We always strive for agreements that are fair, balanced and respectful to both our employees and the taxpayers of York Region,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “This five-year agreement provides labour stability for our staff and helps ensure the Region remains focused on the pandemic response while also continuing to deliver critical services to our residents and communities.”

Details of the renewal agreement include a total wage increase of 9.05 per cent over the five-year term of the contract:

One per cent wage increase, retroactive to April 1, 2020
1.25 per cent wage increase, retroactive to April 1, 2021
2.8 per cent wage increase, retroactive to April 1, 2022
Two per cent wage increase, effective April 1, 2023
Two per cent wage increase, effective April 1, 2024
The agreement also includes improvements to enhance service delivery and additional increases to support employee health and well-being.

York Regional Council ratified this agreement at its council meeting on Thursday, May 26, 2022. CUPE Local 905 (YRU) membership ratified their vote on Friday, May 27, 2022.

“Our staff take great pride in delivering the public programs and services the communities in York Region rely on,” said Bruce Macgregor, York Region chief administrative officer. “The new collective agreement with CUPE Local 905 (YRU) values the important contributions these members provide in supporting strong, caring, safe communities.”

The contract for CUPE Local 905 (YRU) represents 3,234 staff and expired on March 31, 2020. The agreement follows a series of negotiations between the two parties over the past several months. This new agreement will expire on March 31, 2025.

Services provided by CUPE Local 905 (YRU) employees include engineering for large infrastructure projects such as affordable housing and water and wastewater, maintenance for regional roads, transit, public health, paramedic services, social services, courts services, waste management and administrative support.

York Region's unionized employees are also represented by CUPE 905 Long-Term Care Unit (LTC) and the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA). Bargaining with ONA, representing 394 nursing staff, is on a path to resolution. Bargaining with CUPE Local 905 LTC, representing 543 staff at the Newmarket Health Centre and Maple Health Centre long-term care homes, is also expected to be resolved shortly.

Approximately 80 per cent of York Region’s total staff complement is represented by one of these three unions with this settlement affecting the largest group.

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 54,000 businesses with 650,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices