Lévis OMH negotiations: Hard work yields a reward

[Link] Employees with the Office municipal d'habitation de Lévis (CUPE 5301) have brought to an end close to two years of negotiations by signing their second-ever collective agreement, which was significantly improved.

Although talks were lengthy and at times arduous, particularly regarding non-monetary issues, the goodwill of both parties produced an agreement to everyone's satisfaction.

Some of the improvements to the agreement include the adoption of a summer schedule calling for a 4.5 day work week, the creation of flexible schedules where employees can change their daily start and end times and their meal times, which greatly enhance work-life balance.

On the issue of compensation, members obtained wage hikes that prevent them from sliding into poverty, up to 3% for the last two years of the five-year contract, which is a first in the OMH network.

Moreover, gains relating to a job evaluation exercise, which apply retroactively to the date the collective agreement was renewed, represent a wage hike of up to 11% for some job categories.

"These negotiations had their share of challenges, but the determination of the bargaining committee members paid dividends in the end," said a satisfied CUPE representative
Jean François Haineault.