Canadian Labour Reporter

8 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 trend rePort December 8, 2014 Facts and Trends We've compiled the common trends and wage adjustments for certain sectors to provide a snapshot of collec- tive agreements being negotiated across the country. This week, we take a look at the police and fire industries as well as social services. POLice aNd FiRe Eight collective agreements were covered by CLR in the police and fire industries be- tween December 2013 and December 2014. The average wage increase sits at 3.44 per cent over seven agreements signed in the past year. The highest pay rise was five per cent, negotiated between the City of Red Deer and the International Association of Fire Fighters in Alberta for its 110 employees. The average lifespan of an agreement was three years. Thus, the average yearly wage hike for the industries was 1.15 per cent. While the number and types of occupations in the police and fire industries range widely, we've come up with an overview of the average hourly base wages for some of the most common positions in collective agreements. Per hour captain: ........................................................................................................... $ 47.29 Firefighter: ...................................................................................................... $ 39.84 Most collective agreements in the police and fire industries included a provision for probationary periods. Five of the collective agreements covered included such a pro- vision. The average probationary period was 1 year. SOciaL SeRViceS Eight collective agreements were covered by CLR in the social services industry — including senior, mental health and community facilities — between December 2013 and December 2014. The average wage increase sits at 1.55 per cent over seven agreements signed in the past year. The highest pay rise was 2.5 per cent, negotiated for the Fort Providence Housing Association and the Public Service Alliance of Can- ada (PSAC) in Nunavut for seven employees. The average lifespan of an agreement was three years. Thus, the average yearly wage hike for the industry was 0.5 per cent. While the number and types of occupations in the social services industry range widely, we've come up with an overview of the average hourly base wages for some of the most common positions in collective agreements. Per hour Registered Nurse: ......................................................................................... $ 21.26 Maintenance: ................................................................................................. $ 17.99 Most collective agreements in the social services industry included a provision for probationary periods. Seven of the collective agreements covered included such a provision. The average probationary period was 565 hours worked. The longest probationary period was six months (an estimated 960 hours worked), negotiated for the Fort Providence Housing Association and for CASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health by the PSAC and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), respectively. Photo: Andrey _Popov Photo: Flashon Studio

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