Canadian Labour Reporter

lAboUr brieFs 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 Historic job action in White rock, B.C. comes to an end WHitE roCK, B.C. — A month after it began, the very first civic strike in White Rock, B.C. has ended. About 100 government em- ployees in the city — nestled in the Metro Vancouver area — will return to work after the Cana- dian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) ratified a new collective agreement with the city on June 2. As part of the new deal, city staff wages will be upped 6.75 per cent over the course of the four- year agreement. As well, part-time and casual employees will receive an 11 per cent increase (up from eight per cent) for pay in lieu of health ben- efits. Further, the city will allow a union-administered and em- ployee-paid long-term disability plan to be established, as well as increases to certain shift premi- ums such as pay for dirty work. "We made some important gains but CUPE also moved sig- nificantly and we were very flex- ible on finding common ground," explained Mike Guraliuk, presi- dent of the local CUPE 402-01 chapter. But the union did not get ev- erything it wanted, he said, add- ing that they were not able to address the need for clear hours of work for all employees — a provision that will be first on the docket in the next round of bar- gaining. Mayor Wayne Baldwin called the agreement fair and affordable. "As we have said from the start, we wanted an agreement that is fair, affordable and allows the city to continue to provide the cost ef- fective and efficient service our residents depend on all day, every day," he said, adding that regular services will resume as employees return to work in the coming days and weeks. school support staff across B.C. reach tentative contract VAnCoUVEr — Education support staff in British Colum- bia's public schools reached a tentative contract with the province on June 7. The five-year agreement pro- vides wages increases within the province's economic stability program, the BC Public School Employers Association (BCP- SEA) said. CUPE represents 27,000 of the 34,000 workers covered by the agreement. The union reports the agreement also in- cludes improved benefits for its members. "We bargained hard to arrive at a settlement that recognizes and respects the work our mem- bers do and improves the learn- ing environment for students in B.C. schools," according to Rob Hewitt, CUPE K-12 sector co- ordinator. School support staff — in- cluding education assistants, school secretaries, caretakers, First Nations support workers, IT workers, trades and main- tenance workers, and bus driv- ers — have yet to ratify the pro- posed agreement. CUPE members will vote on the provincial agreement as part of their package when the re- spective school boards conclude local bargaining. Outgoing United Auto Workers president Bob King (left) congratulates ex-Secretary Treasurer Dennis Williams (right), who was elected president of the union in Detroit, Michigan on June 4, 2014. formErly ClV rEports serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com published weekly by omson reuters Canada ltd. subscription rate: $595 per year Customer service tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) fax: (416) 298-5106 Email: carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Website: www.carswell.com Director, Carswell media Karen Lorimer publisher John Hobel managing Editor Todd Humber news Editor Sabrina Nanji | (416) 649-9348 sabrina.nanji@thomsonreuters.com news Editor Liz Foster | (416) 298-5129 liz.foster@thomsonreuters.com marketing Co-ordinator Travis Chan | (416) 609-5872 travis.chan@thomsonreuters.com © 2014 Carswell, a division of omson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. e publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal or other expert assistanceis required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. e analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either offi cial or unoffi cial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. Labour Reporter Canadian www.labourreporter.com Photo: Rebecca Cook (Reuters) lABoUr lens

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