Collective bargaining update: CUPE 917 ratification vote unsuccessful

Further to our March 8 update about the tentative agreement reached between UVic and CUPE local 917, the union has advised the university that their ratification vote was unsuccessful.

CUPE 917 represents as many as 1,000 employees in any given year, including many student-employees. These staff work in maintenance and trades roles, athletics and recreation, groundskeeping, campus security, residence services and custodial and food services, among others.

The union will be reviewing this situation over the upcoming week. It is too early to know how this affects the agreement that was reached with the union at the bargaining table on Mar. 7.

Please rest assured that the university had offered—and the union had tentatively agreed to—wage increases and other terms and conditions consistent with the full extent of the province-wide Shared Recovery Mandate. The Shared Recovery Mandate applies to all public-sector employers with unionized employees whose collective agreements expire on or after Dec. 31, 2021.

The Shared Recovery Mandate includes:

  • three-year term – Apr. 1, 2022 to Mar. 31, 2025
  • general wage increases:
    • Apr. 1, 2022: a flat increase of $0.25/hour, which provides a greater percentage increase for lower-paid employees, plus a wage increase of 3.24%
    • Apr. 1, 2023: 5.5% plus a potential Cost of Living Adjustment to a maximum of 6.75%
    • Apr. 1, 2024: 2% plus a potential Cost of Living Adjustment to a maximum of 3%.
  • a negotiable flexibility allocation of up to 0.25% in years one and two to support mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties

To date, over 294,000 unionized employees, including hospital workers, community and long-term care employees, CUPE local 116 at UBC, support staff in every school district, unionized support staff across the BC public service—and all other unionized employees at UVic—are covered by tentative or ratified agreements under the Shared Recovery Mandate.

We will provide further updates as this unexpected situation unfolds. Visit the UVic bargaining website for more information about collective bargaining at UVic and across the broader public sector.