Union for Edmonton city, library workers unveils salary increases in tentative deal
Madeline Smith | CBC News | Posted: March 15, 2024 9:12 PM | Last Updated: March 27
CSU 52 members asked to approve 6.25 per cent salary increase over three years
UPDATE: Civic Service Union 52 announced on March 25, 2024, that 77.8 per cent of the membership had voted 83.5 per cent in favour of the negotiated offer from the City of Edmonton. On March 27, Edmonton Public Library members voted to accept the memorandum of agreement for years 2021-2024 with 82.1 per cent turnout and 91.8 per cent in favour of the negotiated offer.
The union for Edmonton library and city workers says members will see a 6.25 per cent salary increase over three years, plus a $1,000 lump sum payment, if they ratify a tentative deal that narrowly averted strike action this week.
Civic Service Union 52, which represents about 5,000 administrative city workers and 680 Edmonton Public Library staff, made details of the monetary increases public on Friday.
The deal isn't official until CSU 52 members ratify the agreement. EPL and city workers belong to separate bargaining units, so they have separate deals, but the proposed salary increases are the same for both.
Workers were preparing to walk off the job Thursday, but hours before picket lines were set to appear, the union announced they'd reached a deal with the city. An agreement with the library followed Thursday evening.
The agreement on a tentative deal prevented a widespread work stoppage that would have seen libraries close, recreation centres turn people away and most city permitting and licensing services suspended.
The Edmonton Police Service was preparing to have officers fill in for striking 911 dispatchers, and the city warned 311 service would be significantly limited.
Wages have been the central issue in the dispute — workers haven't had a wage increase since 2018 and have been without a contract since 2020.
Numbers released by the union show that under the tentative deal, employees would get a $1,000 lump sum payment in lieu of a wage increase for 2021. Then, they would see a 1.25 per cent raise for 2022, a two per cent increase for 2023 and a three per cent increase for 2024.
CSU 52 president Lanny Chudyk said union members are relieved to see the situation resolved, pending ratification, and said the tentative deal also includes agreements on other priority issues.
"It's my understanding it was a good number of members of the council who stepped up and interceded to push this deal to where it is today," Chudyk said Friday.
He pointed to Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell as especially key to getting city administration back to the table.
"My members never, in either bargaining unit, wanted to go to a picket line. They never wanted to disrupt services to the citizens.... Bluntly, if this council had interceded late summer, early fall, even before Christmas, we could have got this deal done then."
Cartmell, other council members and city officials said they won't comment until the ratification process is finished.
A spokesperson for the Edmonton Public Library also declined CBC's request for comment, saying CSU 52 members still need to see the details of the tentative agreement.
Background of the dispute
The tentative deal comes after 18 months of negotiations. Talks at the bargaining table broke down in the fall, and discussions with a mediator also failed.
Large strike mandates came next. With more than 90 per cent voter turnout, 94 per cent of unionized library workers supported strike action, and out of 83 per cent of eligible city workers, 91 per cent voted in favour.
The city responded by applying to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for an employer proposal vote, allowing workers to vote directly on what it called its "best and final" offer, with a 7.25 per cent wage increase over five years.
Union members overwhelmingly rejected it, and issued a 72-hour strike notice.
WATCH | CSU 52 president, labour relations professor talk about tentative deal:
"The problem we have in regard to the vacancy issue and the staffing issue in the city is we're basically running with the same number of people we had six, eight, 10 years ago," Chudyk said.
"And the population in this city ... [has] doubled in the last 20 years. The geographical footprint has become huge."
Athabasca University labour relations professor Bob Barnetson said it isn't necessarily a surprise to see a looming labour disruption resolved in the 11th hour.
"I think it became clear to the city, or at least city councillors [on Wednesday] that there was quite a lot of support amongst voters for the union," he said.
"That, perhaps, encouraged them to get the city administration to go back to the table and negotiate more."
Barnetson said it's likely to have a lingering impact on city operations, and efforts to attract and keep employees.
"I think forcing collective bargaining to impasse on the employer's side will in fact worsen morale ... I think they will have recruitment problems as a result."