Vancouver, B.C.—E-Comm and CUPE Local 873, the Union that represents the company’s 533 Bargaining Unit employees, announced today that a new Collective Agreement has been achieved through binding interest arbitration.
Under the four-year agreement, employees will receive a 2% increase in year one with a 2.5% increase in each of years two and three, plus a 3% increase in year four). The new Collective Agreement is effective from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022. The deal also includes a 3% market adjustment for emergency communications employees, above and beyond the general wage increase, in recognition of the complexity and demands of the job.
“We recognize and appreciate the critical role our employees play in emergency communications, and the valuable work they do every day keeping British Columbians safe,” says E-Comm CEO Oliver Grüter-Andrew. “Now that the arbitration process is complete, we’re looking forward to working with the Union and our partner agencies to continue advancing public safety in B.C., while ensuring labour stability for the first responder community.”
E-Comm and CUPE Local 873 began collective bargaining in April 2019 and pursued mediation through the Labour Relations Board (LRB) in October 2019. The LRB appointed Vince Ready as the arbitrator for E-Comm and CUPE Local 873 in December 2019, after both parties mutually agreed to move to binding interest arbitration.
E-Comm is responsible for 99% of the province’s 9-1-1 call volume and handled more than 1.84 million 9-1-1 calls in 2019. For more information about E-Comm, visit ecomm911.ca.
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About E-Comm
E-Comm is the first point of contact for 9-1-1 callers in 25 regional districts in British Columbia and provides dispatch services for more than 70 police agencies and fire departments. E‐Comm also owns and operates the largest multi‐jurisdictional, tri‐service wide‐area radio network in the province used by police, fire and ambulance personnel throughout Metro Vancouver and parts of the Fraser Valley.
Media Contact
Jasmine Bradley
E-Comm Corporate Communications