When Burnaby set its sites on a 2.47 per cent residential property tax increase for next year, it was due to a $1.9 million spike in the budget, including a new collective agreement for city staffers.
According to the 2014 provisional financial plan, the city negotiated collective agreements covering about 3,800 people represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 23, which extends to Dec. 31, 2015.
"Going into 2014, we are looking at CUPE (and exempt supervisor/management) wages going up by 1.75 per cent over the year before," said Bob Moncur, city manager, in an email to the NOW. "There is no contract in place with the IAFF 323 (Burnaby firefighters), although we would hope to conclude one in 2014. We have to make some provision for what we think the increase might be, including retroactivity ... but we cannot say precisely what provision has been made since that might bias the bargaining process."
The agreement provides a wage increase of 1.75 per cent in 2014 and two per cent in 2015, according to the report.
The provisional contracts with city staff, fire services and increases in police services represent about $4.1 million in cost increases to the budget for 2014.
The Burnaby Firefighters Union, Local 323 wage agreement, however, is still outstanding for 2012 to 2014, according to the report.
The 2014 plan also includes a $500,000 annualization of costs for three new community facilities that opened this year, including the Still Creek integrated solid waste and recycling Eco-Centre, the Bonsor 55 plus Centre and the Edmonds Community Centre.
"During 2013, several operational changes occurred with staff retirements and internal departmental restructuring designed to improve efficiencies and provide better service in 2014," the report states.
In 2012, a four-year collective agreement with city staff was signed, with a 6.7 per cent increase, according to Moncur. The increase was broken down over four years - 1.25 per cent for the first year, 1.75 per cent each for the second and third years, and two per cent for the fourth year. The agreement was retroactive from Jan. 1 2012 to Jan. 31 2015.
"I think both sides were relatively satisfied with the tone of the process and the result and at least it was done before the end of the first year for which a new contract was needed," Moncur told the NOW.
The 2012 agreement included a one word change, which altered the scope of the contract. It removed the word sexual from "sexual harassment in the workplace shall not be tolerated," to, "harassment in the workplace shall not be tolerated," Moncur said at the time.
Local 23 president Rick Kotar did not respond to the Burnaby NOW's request for comment by press deadline.
To see the full 2014 provisional plan, visit www.burnaby.ca.
