Details released on CUPE Local 486 salaries, overtime, vacation, sick pay and other benefits

The City’s unionized inside workforce represented by CUPE Local 486, which includes employees engaged in clerical and technical work, is compensated fairly and competitively, says the City. Late last week, the City released details about the wage increases offered by the City’s negotiating team.

Mayor Donna Noade Reardon stands firm behind the City’s position that, as a responsible public service, it is important to look at the full package of wages and benefits when determining how much the taxpayers of Saint John can afford. “We value the work of our employees and we value the contributions our community makes to compensating them. When negotiating with any employee group, we must look at the total wages and benefits package offered to employees, and balance that with the increased cost it represents to the taxpayer. In the end, it’s the taxpayers who foot the bill. The City’s negotiating team has balanced both needs well, and I can say that the offer made to CUPE Local 486 on July 26 is both competitive and fair to the employees, and responsible to the taxpayers.”

The average regular salary for a municipal CUPE Local 486 inside worker in 2022 was approximately $65,000, with the highest paid employee earning over $137,000, including overtime.

Among the highest paid CUPE Local 486 inside workers are those in positions such as public safety communications centre (PSCC) supervisor, technologists, and network specialist.

Under the terms of employment, inside workers work 35 hours a week. Time beyond 35 hours is paid at overtime rates or time off in lieu.

Since October 2022, most CUPE Local 486 members have worked a four-day compressed week, allowing them to take every Friday off. Employees working in the PSCC are an exception as the centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and these employees work different shifts.

Additional benefits negotiated under the Collective Agreement

Per year, CUPE Local 486 members are entitled to:

• 13 paid or statutory holidays
• up to seven weeks (245 hours) of paid vacation leave annually, on completing 25 years of service
• an additional 14 hours of flexible paid time off
• up to 35 hours of paid time off to care for family members
• up to 10.5 paid hours for medical appointments

CUPE Local 486 members have the following sick leave provisions:

• They can accumulate up to 1,400 hours of paid sick time, earned at a rate of 10.5 hours per month.
• They have access to a sick leave bank after they exhaust personal sick leave time, paid for by the employer, to a maximum grant of 3,640 hours during the tenure of their employment.

• They also have access to long-term disability benefits.

CUPE Local 486 members receive:

• supplemental benefits during a maternity leave of a top up, beyond government benefits, to 90% of their regular pay for 17 weeks.
• contributions from the City of Saint John for health, dental and life benefits, and pension.

Wage increases offered to CUPE Local 486 on July 26 include an immediate $5,000 one-time payment for all employees for 2022, followed by a 11.8% cumulative pay increase for 2023-2026. This is a cost to the City of $5.4 million. In the last contract, CUPE Local 486 members received a cumulative wage increase of 15.75% over seven years. See details HERE.