EDMONTON – Alberta Union of Provincial Employees members employed by the Alberta Pensions Administration today ratified a two-year collective agreement that sees the employees receive average pay increases of more than 10 per cent in the first year.

The contract calls for a four-per-cent across the board increase in each year, plus a series of job reclassifications that bring the average first-year pay increase for the approximately 100 members of Local 118/013 above 10 per cent, said AUPE President Dan MacLennan.

"This is an excellent agreement that gives our members a pay increase that reflects the important work they do for Albertans," MacLennan said.

AUPE Union Representative Tom Fuller, who negotiated the agreement, said that in this round of negotiations AUPE agreed to dramatically simplify the contract and bring it into line with APA’s new status as an agency of the Alberta government.

"Five years ago, these employees were direct employees of the Alberta government and they came under the complicated collective agreement negotiated on behalf of all government employees," Fuller explained. "This agreement eliminates a lot of contract language that no longer pertains to them and will make it much easier for both the employer and AUPE to administer.

"APA’s status as a Crown agency allowed us to negotiate a simplified, straightforward, easier-to-understand agreement," he added. "We were able to reduce the number of pages in the agreement from 125 to 32, which will have benefits for everyone involved."

Fuller said the agreement includes many improvements, among them:
n A flexible benefits plan that allows employees to receive additional benefits that fit their particular needs.

• Improvements in contract language dealing with severance.
• Improvements with the agreement’s grievance procedure.

The APA is responsible for administering all public service pension plans in Alberta.

For more information, contact:
Tom Fuller, Union Representative, AUPE, 780-930-3365 or 780-719-7840 (cell phone)
Dan MacLennan, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301 or 780-910-8392 (cell phone)
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (cell phone)

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