MERRITT A memorandum of agreement between the City of Merritt and its unionized staff, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 900, was reached on September 13th bringing an end to nearly a year of talks. Last night, the agreement was ratified unanimously by Merritt City Council and by an 88% majority vote of the CUPE membership.
The three-year deal contains improvements to collective agreement language and a lump sum payment equivalent to a 2.3% of salary increase on January 1st, 2005 and January 1st, 2006.
This agreement brings a successful conclusion to challenging negotiations, which at times seemed to be heading towards a labour dispute, said a city representative.
CUPE 900 president and chief negotiator Mel Hale commented, These negotiations were tough, but in the end we reached an agreement that was fair to city workers and taxpayers. We look forward to continuing our, work building a strong community for the citizens of Merritt.
The previous contract expired December 31, 2003.
CUPE 900 represents 51 city workers that are employed by the City of Merritt.
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Contact:
Mel Hale, President, CUPE 900, (250)374-0042.