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Library ratifies contract in a day

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Renée Milaney (left)

It took mere hours for local Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members to work out a collective agreement for the seven employees of the Grand Forks & District Public Library.

Library Director Heather Buzzell said the negotiations went smoothly because both parties started out on the same side.

“Staff and the board wanted to move forward,” Buzzell said, adding that they see the negotiations as having gone positively.

Renée Milaney, shop steward for CUPE local 2254 and library worker, said the employees that the new deal affects are extremely happy about the way the negotiations went.

“There was no move by either party to be hard-nosed,” Milaney said. “We’re both very satisfied with it. Everybody’s satisfied. We had a 100-per-cent ratification from our staff, so we’re all on board.”

The agreement sees the CUPE members getting a 2.5 per cent raise for each of the three years the contract covers.

“I think it’s pretty good in this economy,” Milaney said.

“In the Kootenays we’re not the top but we’re not the bottom; we’re in the middle and it’s a good place to be.”

The agreement also includes improvements to vision care, dental plan, vacation time and temporary backfill rates.

Starting July 6, the library will also be trying out its pilot project at Christina Lake – a pick-up and drop-off service on Wednesdays located in the Christina Lake Village Mall.