City and Canadian Union of Public Employees reach three-year deal

Contract term runs to December 31, 2028

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed March 26, 2026 12:00 PM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 401 have reached a three-year agreement, covering January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028, that provides a general wage increase of four percent per year.

The agreement was reached following a series of bargaining sessions earlier in March and was ratified by both parties this week. The new agreement provides better clarity around seniority accrual, overtime and statutory holiday provisions and reflects settlements being achieved in other communities in the central and north Island regions.

CUPE Local 401 represents approximately 760 City staff in such areas as sanitation, public safety, parks maintenance, recreation, administration and at the RCMP detachment.

Link to Strategic Plan: A long term collective agreement supports good governance by providing labour stability, enabling staff to focus on delivering on Council's priorities.

Key Points

The agreement was ratified by Council and the CUPE Local 401 membership, and is retroactive to January 1 of this year.
The three-year agreement will be in effect until the end of December 2028.

Quotes

"I am pleased to see a new collective agreement in place. It is the result of respectful discussions, a willingness to work together and a shared commitment to continue the excellent work of serving our community."

Leonard Krog

Mayor

City of Nanaimo

"We are pleased to conclude this round of bargaining without acrimony or disruption and look forward to continuing to provide the vital public services City residents rely on everyday."

Blaine Gurrie

President

CUPE Local 401

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Contact:

For media enquiries, please contact:

Communications

City of Nanaimo

250-754-4251

Media.Requests@nanaimo.ca

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