BOWEN ISLAND—Municipal workers on Bowen Island, members of CUPE 1004, achieved a historic first contract following a unanimous ratification vote that concluded on November 1.
“This first contract sets a good framework for our members to build on in upcoming rounds of bargaining,” said CUPE 1004 President Andrew Ledger. “I’d like to thank the bargaining committee and the members of this unit for all their hard work.”
The three-year collective agreement covers the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. The contract includes benefit and wage improvements as well as language improvements including seniority provisions, dirty pay and improvements for weekend, overtime, standby and call out work.
Bargaining team member Corrina Headley said that although bargaining took a long time — with many days of bargaining over the course of the last year — the end result is a huge improvement.
“It’s really expensive here and most of our crew have families and want to be able to afford a home here. I can’t even imagine how they were getting by before this,” said Headley.
This group of CUPE 1004 members provides public services and maintains critical infrastructure, keeping residents safe and making Bowen Island a great place to live, work and play.
