CUPE 501 and UPEI celebrate ratification of collective agreement

The ratification of a new collective agreement between the University of Prince Edward Island and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 501) was cause for celebration on September 24 in Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall. UPEI reached an agreement with CUPE 501, which represents employees in the Security Services Division in the Department of Facilities Management, after two days of collective bargaining in August.

Director of Human Resources Kylie Fraser served as master of ceremonies for the gathering that included members of CUPE 501, both bargaining teams, and senior administration, including President Wendy Rodgers; Vice-President Administration and Finance Tim Walker; and Vice-President, People and Culture Jane Ngobia. Fraser opened the event by commenting, “reaching a collective agreement reflects dedication, collaboration, and hard work of everyone involved.”

Kelly Drummond, Associate Vice-President, Human Resources, spoke on behalf of the University, sharing her experience after participating in the bargaining process.

“It was a pleasure to work with the CUPE 501 bargaining team. They worked extremely hard to represent this very important group of employees on campus. The conversation throughout negotiations was not only productive and positive but also enlightening as we really talked about what’s meaningful to them as a group. This collective agreement truly reflects how both parties were able to have constructive dialogue so thank you. In addition to the Security Services team, I see many people from Human Resources here today and that also demonstrates our recognition of the value CUPE 501 members bring to UPEI.”

Beverly Roy and William Clement delivered remarks together on behalf of the CUPE 501 bargaining team and their Security Services colleagues.

“We feel the same way,” said Roy. “Both the University and the union worked very well together throughout negotiations. There was a lot of open conversation. We are happy to see how working together is now leading to good things for our members.”

“We are very grateful for the smooth process and easy conversations that took place to make this round of negotiations go so well,” added Clement.

UPEI thanks the members of both bargaining teams for their commitment and dedication to the process:

• For CUPE 501: Jennifer LeBlanc, Beverly Roy, and William Clement
• For UPEI: Lukas Riley, Kelly Drummond, Kylie Fraser, Virginia Wickstrom, and Scott Gosse