GRAND FORKS—CUPE library workers and the Grand Forks Public Library have ratified a new three-year collective agreement after only one day of negotiations .
The seven members of CUPE Local 2254 at the library signed a new agreement with wage increases of 2.5 per cent in each of the three years ending June 30, 2014. The agreement includes improvements to vision care, dental plan, temporary backfill rates and vacation times.
CUPE 2254 bargaining spokesperson Lee-Anne Halifax said she is “especially proud of the great bullying and harassment language now included in the collective agreement that came out of a union initiative following the last round of bargaining.”
CUPE 2254 shop steward Renee Milaney called the talks “respectful and responsive” adding that “the library board set a cooperative tone during these negotiations that made the process fast, professional and productive.”
Library Director Heather Buzzell said, “the negotiations demonstrate how well we have come together to work as a team.”
Halifax said the board and the union have also clarified how their joint labour/management committee will work to deal with issues during the length of the agreement.
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