AUPE Local 052 and UCalgary ratify new collective agreement

The union that represents support staff at the University of Calgary have voted in favour of ratifying a new collective agreement with their employer, it was announced on Friday.

In an online vote, members of Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE) Local 052 approved the May 19 agreement. UCalgary’s board also ratified it.

Highlights of the new four-year pact (which is backdated to April 1, 2020 and runs to March 31, 2024) include:

• Across the board salary increases of 1.25% as of Jan. 1, 2023, followed by a second of 1.5% on Sept. 1, 2023 (with a potential additional 0.5% increase if Alberta Real GDP is forecast to be at or above 2.7%, which is to be calculated in February 2024);
• An increase to extended health and dental premiums to ensure existing rates are 100% employer-paid;
• A new Letter of Understanding (LOU) on Employment Security that provides a “moratorium on involuntary layoffs and abolishments” for the next six-and-a-half months; and
• An additional new LOU on hybrid working arrangements and another for caretaking staff that “provides opportunities for movement within the department and enhanced seniority rights.”

Additional key elements of the approved AUPE agreement cover topics such as improved seniority rights when bridging between consecutive fixed-term appointments; stronger terms for those returning to work after workers’ compensation leave; enhance workplace health and safety provisions; and renewal of the University-Union Exclusions Review project.

A draft of the new collective agreement is available on the Employee and Labour Relations website.