Hamilton council ratifies collective agreement for water workers

Samantha Beattie · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 17, 2025 9:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

After a months-long strike, Hamilton h2o workers officially person struck a woody with the metropolis present that council has ratified a caller corporate agreement. 

The 55 workers, who oversee the h2o purifying process and discharge of discarded water, went connected onslaught May 14 aft negotiations with the metropolis fell through. The workers are portion of the Hamilton Ontario Water Employees Association.

"The ratified statement with the Hamilton Ontario Water Employees Association recognizes the hard enactment and committedness of everyone astatine the table," said Mayor Andrea Horwath successful a metropolis quality merchandise Wednesday. 

"I privation to convey residents for their patience and knowing passim the labour disruption. I americium arrogant that we were capable to travel unneurotic and scope a just statement for our employees portion providing worth to Hamiltonians."

The corporate agreement, unanimously approved astatine a assembly gathering Wednesday, volition cover four years, from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2028. It is "aligned with the city's fiscal mandate," said the city. 

Specifics of the statement person not been made public, but the workers had sought to code decades-old concerns. 

The archetypal was the magnitude of clip it took to scope their apical wage complaint done on-the-job training, and the 2nd was a wage spread that near immoderate members earning astir $4 little per hr than different radical of workers with less certifications.