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The union representing London’s outside workers – whose duties include trash collection and maintaining roads and parks – has agreed to a new four-year labour deal, city hall officials announced on Wednesday.
CUPE Local 107 represents 700 full-time and temporary outside workers. The union’s leader, Jamie McBride, called the pact a testament to the role the workers play in delivering important services to the community.
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“I’m pleased we have reached an agreement with the corporation (city hall) that provides wage and benefit improvements for our employees while striking a balance for London taxpayers,” McBride said in a statement.
The deal, retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year, includes the following annual wage hikes:
- 2024: 3.5%
- 2025: 3.0%
- 2026: 3.0%
- 2027: 2.7%
It breaks down to an average raise of 3.05%.
Roughly one month ago, less than half of the 770 members of Local 107 voted, but they rejected the four-year proposal that had pledged wage increases every year. At that time, CUPE spokesperson Eric Bell declined to discuss the amount offered but noted workers were feeling pinched by “cost of living and inflationary pressures.”
The newly signed deal is among the first significant pieces of business handled by city hall’s top manager, Sandra Datars Bere, who took the helm in February after serving the same role at St. Thomas city hall. In a statement, she described the labour deal as a win for all sides.
“This agreement reflects the hard work, respectful dialogue and commitment demonstrated by both sides of the bargaining table,” Datars Bere said. “The result is good for our employees, respects organizational needs, and supports our ability to offer the best municipal services to the community.”
In 2023, city hall and the union representing its more than 800 inside workers, CUPE Local 101, signed a three-year contract with wage increases of 3.2 per cent in the first year and three per cent in each of the following years. The deal was retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023.
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