EPL Members Vote to Ratify the MOA

Two Consecutive Days Off and the “Straddling Weekend” Issue

With the ratification of the Memorandum of Agreement, some schedulers have reached out to us identifying an issue with the new language agreed to in Article 7.02.01 - Scheduling Consecutive Days of Rest, and we would like to provide an update on this.

What does the new language say?

Full-time employees are entitled to two consecutive days off in every two-week pay period. If this doesn’t happen, the member is paid a premium of $3.50/hour for the shift(s) that should have been a rest day.

What’s the issue?

Because EPL’s pay periods run Sunday to Saturday, the language sometimes doesn’t “line up” with how weekends actually work. For example:

• If your days off are Saturday (end of one pay period) and Sunday (start of the next pay period), you are in practice getting a full weekend off.
• But under the strict pay-period wording, this does not technically count as two consecutive days of rest.

Why does this matter?

Instead of paying the premium in these cases, schedules may be adjusted in ways that are less desirable for members (for example, breaking up a full weekend off into only a partial weekend, or rearranging shifts). The result is that some members are left with schedules that are worse than they would have been without this language.

What are we doing about it?

• We flagged this issue during mediation, and there was agreement that the intent was not to make schedules worse.
• We have drafted clarifying language and will be working with EPL to correct this, so the provision functions as intended.
• In the meantime, we will continue to monitor and push for fair scheduling practices.

What does this mean for availability requests and shift trades?

The language allows members to waive the “two days off” requirement and premium if they wish. If you make an availability request that your scheduler could not grant without breaking the “two days off” rule (and the Employer is unwilling to pay the premium), you may choose to waive the requirement in order to get the schedule you want.

Shift trades would be considered an implied waiver of the “two days off” requirement.

What does this mean for me right now?

• If you are affected by the “straddling weekend” situation or see your schedule being made worse to avoid it, please let your LSC and Shop Steward know so we can track the impact.
• You don’t need to take any action on your own, but we will update you as soon as progress is made.

Members have voted to accept the Memorandum of Agreement with the Edmonton Public Library for the years 2025-2027.

• Yes: 93%
• No: 7%

We thank everyone for your participation and engagement during this round of bargaining. Your strong support reflects the importance of the improvements that were achieved in this agreement.

In addition to wage increases, this agreement secured key improvements to scheduling and workplace safety. These issues were priorities for members, and they will remain priorities for CSU 52 throughout the life of the agreement. This agreement represents a critical first step toward the larger conversations on these issues, not the end of the conversation. Bargaining is only one part of your Union's work; it is important to hold EPL accountable on these issues for the life of the agreement.

The next step is for the Employer to recommend ratification of the agreement to its Board of Trustees. Assuming the Board ratifies the agreement, we will then work with the Employer to determine when members can expect to receive retroactive pay.

We will update you all once we know more.

Online voting, through the SimplyVoting platform:

Eligible voters were sent a ballot email invitation from Simply Voting <[email protected]> to their personal email (the address that receives CSU 52 e-News messages).

Member login is required:

Posted on 8/8/2025
Updated on 8/12/2025

Dear Members,

Your CSU 52 bargaining team is pleased to announce that after two full days of mediation, we have reached a signed Memorandum of Agreement with the Edmonton Public Library. This agreement represents a full settlement of all outstanding issues between the parties. Your bargaining team will be recommending ratification of this MOA.

Highlights of the settlement include:

• Three-year term: December 29, 2024 – December 11, 2027.
• General wage increases:
  • 2.75% effective December 29, 2024 (with full retroactivity)
  • 3.0% effective December 14, 2025
  • 3.0% effective December 13, 2026
• Part II benefits improvements already in effect as negotiated between the City of Edmonton and CSU 52, including:
  • Psychological coverage doubled to $2,000/year and inclusion of registered social workers
  • Removal of exclusions for fertility, sexual dysfunction, hair loss, and weight loss medications
  • Coverage for continuous glucose monitoring
• Enhanced scheduling and hours provisions, including premiums for full-time employees not receiving two consecutive days off in a pay period.
• Increased evening/Saturday shift differential to $1.10/hour, from $0.85/hour.
• Health and Safety improvements, including formal critical incident support and additional reporting requirements.
• Shifting the Vacation Planner window from March to February, to allow more time between final approvals and the start of the vacation year. Additionally, providing additional clarity as to the date that maximum vacation carry-over is calculated.
• Updates to Student Page Letter of Understanding (removal of the 25% technology rule) and new appendices for notification obligations and pay band classifications.
• Other minor administrative and housekeeping items.

We thank all members for your support and solidarity during these negotiations.

In solidarity,
Your Edmonton Public Library Bargaining Committee