Whitehorse Daily Star

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Steve Geick

Government workers agree to new contract

Members of the Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) have accepted a new three-year collective agreement, union president Steve Geick confirmed this morning.

By Chuck Tobin on July 22, 2019

Members of the Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) have accepted a new three-year collective agreement, union president Steve Geick confirmed this morning.

Geick told the Star the union does not release the percentage of employees who voted nor the percentage who voted in favour, in keeping with the constitution of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, YEU’s parent union.

The agreement provides for a general 5.25 per cent wage increase, or 1.75 per cent in each of the three years, retroactive to Jan. 1. The previous agreement expired last Dec. 31.

Four teams of the 4,000-member union representatives travelled last week to every community and highway camp across the territory to explain the proposed agreement and collect votes.

The union was recommending acceptance. The vote count was completed Friday afternoon.

Negotiators reached the tentative deal June 7. The territorial cabinet ratified the collective agreement prior to the union ratification process.

The new agreement also contains a number of other wage provisions and the protection of the severance package the government wanted to cap, Geick explained.

He said the severance package remains in place and provides union members with one week of wages for every year worked upon their departure.

The government wanted to freeze the severance package for existing employees and eliminate it for new employees, he said.

Geick said the issue over severance pay affects all the members but particularly employees with five to 15 years of service.

The union was also successful in negotiating a clause providing critical incident leave for employees like first responders who witness a traumatic event while on the job, he explained.

Previously, he said, employees who felt they needed time to deal with an event had to use their own leave time.

Under the new provision, an employee can take up to 48 hours after the incident without being docked if they’re feeling they must, he explained.

The union president said the first 48 hours after a traumatic incident are critical in determining the need for professional assistance.

Geick said to his knowledge, it’s the first such provision in the country.

There’s also been an annual pay increase of $12,000 for nurse practitioners to assist with recruitment and a 10 per cent wage hike to assist with the recruitment of airport firefighters who earn substantially less than city firefighters, he said.

Geick said the shift premium for hours worked from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. and for weekend work has been raised from $1.50 an hour to 2.25, beginning Jan. 1, 2020.

Community allowances and remote premiums have been increased by five per cent, he said.

There have also been changes to provisions affecting maternity and parental leave, among other things.

“Many hours of hard work by the bargaining teams over the last nine months have led to a collective agreement that will guide us through the next three years,” Geick said in a joint press release issued this morning by the union and Yukon government.

“Thanks to the membership for clearly identifying what their priorities for this round were and supporting the teams through the process.”

Richard Mostyn, the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, said in the release the agreement balances the needs of employees with the government’s commitment to public services to Yukoners.

Comments (6)

Up 4 Down 3

Pat on Jul 26, 2019 at 9:42 pm

Union is a a waste of money. Enough laws in place to protect workers. Unions are 1970

Up 4 Down 6

Wilf Carter on Jul 23, 2019 at 3:50 pm

How many members voted? The ones I talked to didn't even know there was a vote. He works for YTG and they pay his salary not the union. He will do what YTG tells him to do. Just to keep up with all the new taxes and inflation the raise should be 9% to 12%.

Up 4 Down 4

Curiously watching on Jul 23, 2019 at 12:59 pm

Wow! Very few comments, and none of merit as these three would have poo poo’d any agreement. This is as big of an endorsement as I’ve ever seen for a government contract. Honestly is wilf sleeping?

Up 2 Down 6

BnR on Jul 23, 2019 at 8:06 am

And here we go.
Cue the righteous indignation.

Up 7 Down 4

Seth Wright on Jul 22, 2019 at 8:11 pm

Mostyn meant public “dis-services” to Yukoners... This level of authoritarian, despotic governance has not been practiced since the 80s in the Yukon...

Up 2 Down 6

JC on Jul 22, 2019 at 5:15 pm

Now, watch all the food prices go ballistic.

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