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Oak Bay Police Union gets retroactive wage increase

Oak Bay Police Board and the union entered arbitration following a long negotiation
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The Oak Bay Police Union and the Oak Bay Police Board settled by an interest arbitration for a wage increase . (Oak Bay News file)

The Oak Bay Police Union and the Oak Bay Police Board, represented by the Greater Victoria Labour Association (GVLRA), have come to an agreement on a wage increase following a “long and respectful negotiation process.”

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Both parties entered arbitration covering a four-year term ending on Dec. 31, 2019, which sees a general wage increase of 2.5 per cent in each year. The agreement includes three years of retroactive wage increases. The collective agreement between the Oak Bay Police Board and the Oak Bay Police Association expired December 31, 2015.

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In early 2018, the Oak Bay Police department argued that their pay should be in line with other departments, despite their smaller staff and geographical area, citing the double homicide of Chloe and Aubrey Berry in 2017, and the 2007 murder-suicide of Peter Lee, who killed his wife, child and in-laws.

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“We are pleased negotiations have been resolved and that arbitrator [Stan] Lanyon’s findings are fair,” said GVLRA board chair and Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch in a statement. “He affirmed and clarified the police employer negotiation rights.”