City of Hamilton workers ratify tentative collective agreement

Workers with the City of Hamilton have voted in favour of ratifying their tentative collective agreement with Local 5167 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), according to the union.

A strike by more than 3,200 workers was averted last month when the city and the union reached the tentative deal for a 3.75 per cent increase in the first year, and a three per cent increase in the second, third and fourth years of the contract.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, union president Jay Hunter described the ratification vote results as "the largest vote in 5167 history."

"The members have spoken," Hunter wrote.

On Tuesday, vice-president Jason Lucas said the union does not release voting numbers "due to ongoing relations and future negotiations."

But he said that three years ago, CUPE transitioned to online voting.

"In that time we doubled and then tripled participation in the voting process," Lucas told CBC Hamilton.

After the agreement was reached, the city released a statement that said: "Throughout the negotiation process, both the city and CUPE Local 5167 have engaged in open and constructive discussions and reached a deal the city believes is fair to employees and taxpayers.

"This development of a tentative agreement marks a significant step towards reaching a deal and ensuring the continued delivery of services to our community," read the statement.

Agreement must be approved by city council

Now that the vote has been ratified by the membership, Lucas said city council will need to approve the contract.  

"Sixty days post-ratification all the changes and retroactive payments will be processed," he said.

Lucas described the negotiations as "a long and tough process, made even harder through actions like the city increasing non-union wages."

"We want to thank the labour community at large for its support, and most importantly thank all of [the] members who participated in this long and stressful process with us."

Some workers the union represents are garbage collectors for the lower city, Dundas, Flamborough and part of Ancaster, pool and parks program staff; bylaw enforcement; municipal child-care workers; film permits and development applications.