Among agreements are pay raises and changes to some workers’ schedules.
Longueuil has ratified an agreement in principle to renew collective agreements for labour unions, after the union members had done so.
Two agreements are involved: that of white-collar workers and school crossing guards, members of a local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, and that of the Longueuil police officers brotherhood.
The agglomeration ratified the agreement on its end during the last meeting of the agglomeration council.
The new agreement for white-collar workers and school crossing guards is in effect from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2027. Among other things, it provides for a salary increase of 17.75 per cent for the duration of the agreement, as well as clauses related to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of up to one per cent more per year, for the years 2023 to 2027.
The union also obtained for most a new schedule of 4.5 days per week or nine days per two weeks, “depending on the nature of the position.”
“We are satisfied with the agreement and the gains we have made,” commented the president, Karine Laprise, when the result of the union members’ vote was announced.
The new contract with the Fraternité des policiers de Longueuil is for five years, with planned salary increases of 13.5 per cent over the length of the deal, as well as a 10-per-cent salary catch-up (including 0.7 per cent offered in sick days). The city notes that this “thus fills the gap with the specific market of municipal police officers in Quebec.”
The city said it was satisfied with these agreements. This “allows us to move forward with new collective agreements that will guarantee better service to citizens while improving the working conditions of our colleagues,” general manager Alexandre Parizeau said.
Housing office workers launch strike: Meanwhile, 35 white-collar workers at the Office d’habitation de Longueuil announced Monday they had begun a three-day strike “after a year of unsuccessful negotiations and several conciliation sessions.”
The OHL receives its funding from the Société d’habitation du Québec, which obtains its funding from the Quebec government. The union said it would take its message to the SHQ or Treasury Board directly if it had to. “But what we will not do is accept impoverishment for our members in the midst of a cost of living crisis.”