Update December 11th, 2024
The City of Richmond Hill is pleased that a renewal collective agreement with CUPE 905, the union representing more than 200 employees, has been ratified. This three-year collective agreement ends the CUPE 905 labour disruption.
The collective agreement includes wage increases of:
- April 1, 2024 - 3.75%
- April 1, 2025 - 3.5%
- April 1, 2026 - 3.0%
In addition to wage increases, changes to the employee benefit plan include the following:
- Increases to paramedical and psychological services
- Increases in vision care
- Increases in dental care
All City services affected by the strike will resume normal operations on Thursday, December 12, including all ice pads. Visit www.RichmondHill.ca for City information.
From the CUPE 905 members at the City of Richmond Hill have voted in favour of a new agreement that makes important gains for members, bringing an end to a 3-week strike that began on November 22.
“From the start of this strike, our members have said this is about fairness and the need for meaningful salary increases that help address the rising cost of living, and I am proud to say that we were able to achieve that,” said CUPE Local 905 Unit Chair Jake Matta. “Through the strike, we showed that we were willing to fight for a fair deal. We stood strong on the picket line and as a result were able to make these important and long overdue gains.”
CUPE 905 members at the City of Richmond Hill include workers who maintain parks, arenas, community centres, roads and sidewalks, ensure clean drinking water and produce all events at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.
Details of the new agreement include:
- Salary increases of 10.25% over three years, plus hourly adjustments of between $0.75 to $2.50 per hour for multiple positions
- 4 full-time positions at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
- A Market Compensation Review with wage increases to pull all positions into the top one-third of comparable municipalities
- Increases to health benefits, standby pay and shift premiums
“This is a win not just for CUPE 905 members at the City of Richmond Hill, but for all municipal workers across York Region and the GTA” said CUPE Local 905 President Katherine Grzejszczak. “
CUPE 905 also thanked the community for their patience as well as the many unions who offered their support during the strike.
CUPE 905 members will be back at work on Thursday, December 12.
Update December 5th, 2024
Statement from Mayor David West
"The City of Richmond Hill’s CUPE 905 represented employees have been on strike for two weeks. While the City has been able to provide many key services during this time, we believe the time has come for our valued employees to return to work.
To facilitate this, earlier today we have reached out to CUPE 905’s bargaining teams to seek their agreement to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible with the assistance of a third-party mediator.
At the time CUPE 905 commenced the strike, two key issues remained outstanding: seasonal workers and a flat fee hourly wage increase. We believe if the parties commit to working hard at the bargaining table, a resolution for these issues can be found.
The services that CUPE 905 employees provide to residents and businesses of Richmond Hill are very important and we would like to see them return to work with a collective bargaining agreement that is fair to them and to the taxpayers of Richmond Hill.
We await CUPE 905’s response."
Update November 27, 2024
Statement from Mayor David West
"I would like to thank the residents and businesses of Richmond Hill for their patience during the CUPE 905 strike and apologize for the inconvenience and delays this job action may be causing you.
The City did not want this strike. That is why we made offers to CUPE 905’s bargaining committee that reflected and exceeded current municipal bargaining trends.
The City’s last offer to CUPE 905’s bargaining committee included:
Wage increases of
- 3.25% in 2024;
- 3% in 2025;
- 3.25% in 2026
Improvements to these benefits:
- chiropractic and massage; vision; orthodontics; major restorative dental coverage; psychological services
- Increased paid days off
- In addition to a 3% wage increase, we have adjusted the hourly rate for targeted positions to better reflect market rates
Unfortunately, CUPE 905’s bargaining committee offer back to the City would result in an increase of up to 12% over two years. While we want our employees to be paid well for the hard work that they do, that cost is not fair to our taxpayers.
Let’s end this strike and get our employees back to work. The City’s bargaining committee remains available to resume bargaining at any time."
____________________________________
On November 22, CUPE 905, the union representing approximately 200 City employees, began strike action.
The City of Richmond Hill sent this information:
"The City values the work of all our employees, including those represented by CUPE 905. It is our goal to achieve a negotiated collective agreement that reflects the important role that they play in the City and that is in keeping with other comparable settlements.
The City and CUPE 905 have been bargaining a renewal collective agreement for outside workers since June 5, 2024. The current contract expired on March 31, 2024.
In an effort to reach an agreement and avoid a strike, the City made an offer that included the following:
- Wage increases of
- 3.25% in 2024;
- 3% in 2025;
- 3.25% in 2026
- Improvements to these benefits: chiropractic and massage; vision; orthodontics; major restorative dental coverage; psychological services
- Increased paid days off
- In addition to a 3% wage increase, we have adjusted the hourly rate for targeted positions to better reflect market rates
- However, CUPE 905’s bargaining team remains committed to a flat rate wage increase for all CUPE 905 employees, in addition to a significant percentage increase. CUPE’s last offer would result in an increase of up to 12% over two years.
The City’s proposal reflects current bargaining trends.
Some City services are affected by the strike.
Suspended services
- Arena ice-pads are closed (including ice pad pre-registered programs, drop-ins and permits)
- Parks and sports field maintenance and non-emergency repairs
- Routine forestry and horticulture activities (i.e. planting, pruning, non-hazard tree inspections)
- Snow windrow clearing (the pile of snow left at the bottom of a driveway after a snow plow has cleared the road)
- Trail maintenance
Services that may take longer than usual
- Recreation facility repairs
- Unscheduled cleanups (i.e. illegal dumping, graffiti removal)
- Waste collection from City parks
- Winter maintenance operations - salting, plowing and/or shoveling of City roads, sidewalks, facility parking lots and entrances to municipal buildings
Services that are NOT affected
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Access Richmond Hill, including receiving payments for City-related bills
- By-law services
- City Clerks Office, including marriage and lottery licences
- Development support services - servicing in-fill lots
- Emergency infrastructure repair (i.e. watermain breaks, sewer backups)
- Hazardous tree maintenance
- Recreation programs, community centres, pools and facility permits (not including arenas)
- Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts events and programs
- Streetlight repairs
- Waste collection
- Water and wastewater operations and testing
For more information
- From the City Labour Disruption Updates - City of Richmond Hill
- From CUPE 905 CUPE 905
