Toronto City Council ratifies collective agreement with CUPE. Agreement includes A cap on erectile dysfunction drugs
Toronto City Council unanimously ratified the four (4) five-year agreements with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79, the union representing the City’s 24,000 inside workers. This follows the ratification by CUPE Local 79 members on June 27.
The City and the union reached a negotiated settlement in March 2020, however the COVID-19 response efforts prevented ratification until now.
The details of the 5-year agreement include:
- Wage increases
1% per year for the first three year and 1.75% per year for the last two years - Cap on erectile dysfunction drugs
- Dependents 18 years of age and under are able to obtain up to three pairs of orthotics or orthopedic devices a year
- Establishment of the Joint Benefits Committee to continue to work on the affordability and sustainability of the City’s benefit program
- Increased the maximum amount for psychologist services from $300 per benefit year to $1,000 per benefit year
- Changes to parental leave that fairly address recent changes to the Federal EI program, while increasing the top-up percentage so employees can receive the increased top-up payments for up to 12 months or elect to spread the same dollar value of the top-up payments over a period of up to 18 months.
- Continue to limit job security to employees who have reached 15 years seniority with the cut-off date extended to as of December 31, 2024.
“I’m pleased that we came to a fair agreement in these negotiations. COVID-19 delayed our ratification, but today we have a five-year agreement that is timely, affordable, and responsible. I’d like to thank our staff who are continuing to deliver excellent services for our city during this pandemic. I appreciate their dedication and hard work for our residents.” Mayor John Tory
CUPE Local 79 represents four bargaining units: Full-time; Unit B, Part-time; Long-Term Care Homes & Services, Part-time; and Recreation Workers, Part-time.
In March, the City reached a final agreement with TCEU Local 416 that was also ratified by the union membership and approved by City Council.
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