Results Are In For CUPE 1393 Deal Vote

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Striking members of CUPE 1393 have voted on a new collective agreement with the University that would possibly end a month-long strike.

Members voted 95% in favour of the new contract effectively ending strike action.  The University of Windsor Board of Governors also ratified the new deal late Wednesday afternoon.

The three-year collective agreement members ratified today include an  annual wage increases of 1% in each year, with an exception for 16 skilled trades employees who will receive 1.5% in each year.

The issues of job evaluation and bumping were the two main issues of this strike. In the new agreement, language has been introduced to clarify the job evaluation process, and to provide new terms of reference and benchmarks for the Joint Job Evaluation Committee. Going forward, all job evaluations will be based upon this new language. For those evaluations that were initiated during the last collective agreement, full retroactive pay for any wage increases resulting from evaluation will be provided. For new job evaluation requests, retroactive pay will be capped at six months.

When it comes to bumping, a new 18 day streamlined process has been implemented. During that period, from the time of notification that a position is being closed, employees will have the opportunity to review as wide a range of options as possible. Then, from those options, they will be given the opportunity to “bump (test drive)” a maximum of two positions for which they are qualified.

“We’re very pleased to be returning to work and providing students with the many important services they’ve been doing without for the past month,” said Dean Roy, President of CUPE 1393.

“There are significant backlogs of work across the University that have built up during the strike and we’ll be making every possible effort to clear those backlogs as quickly as possible,” he added.

Dr. Alan Wildeman, President and Vice-Chancellor said, “I am delighted that our employees are returning to work. Our entire campus community welcomes them back. I give my full respect and appreciation to the bargaining teams on both sides for their commitment and hard work to arrive at a new collective agreement.”

CUPE 1393 represents 282 skilled trades, professional, and technical employees including systems programmers, equipment technicians, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, painters, database administrators, therapists, graphic designers, audio engineers, nurses, development officers, writers, communicators, specialists, coordinators and advisers.