Lethbridge City Council ratifies new agreement with City’s largest union

More than 900 City employees have a new collective agreement as City Council today ratified an agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 70. Members of the City’s largest union will see an 11 per cent wage increase over four years.

"Our CUPE employees provide excellent public service to your community every day. From picking up our waste carts to fixing watermain breaks, from taking care of our parks to cleaning the ice at our arenas, they are a vital and valued part of our city,” says Mayor Blaine Hyggen. “I want to commend our City bargaining team and CUPE Local 70 for working so hard to reach an agreement that is fair and equitable to both our employees and to City taxpayers.”

Funding for the new CUPE agreement is supported within the City’s current operating budget and will not impact property taxes.

On November 5, CUPE members voted 91.7 per cent in favour of the new agreement.

“Members of CUPE Local 70 work hard every day for the residents of Lethbridge,” says Susan Gouw, President, CUPE Local 70. “Council putting the right resources in the right places means we can continue meeting the needs of the people of Lethbridge, because our work and the dedication of our members makes our city work.”

The wage increases in the new collective agreement are in line with other recent City union negotiations and comparable to similar unions in other municipalities. The increase breakdown includes: 

• 11 per cent over four years (2023-2026)
  • 2023 – 3.00 per cent
  • 2024 – 2.75 per cent
  • 2025 – 2.50 per cent
  • 2026 – 2.75 per cent

• Increase in labourer starting rate to $23/hr beginning in 2025

The City of Lethbridge and CUPE Local 70 have been in active labour negotiations since March, 2023. During this time, the teams met 29 times and participated in a third-party mediation session to reach the agreement. The past agreement between the two parties expired December 31, 2022.

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