City workers have voted to ratify proposed collective agreements that would see their pay rise by 4.25 per cent over four years.

The Yukon Employees’ Union’s (YEU’s) Local Y022 represents more than 30 transit staffers, while Local Y023 represents other city workers with the exception of firefighters.

The union said Thursday both locals “voted overwhelmingly in favour of acceptance of the tentative agreement, a deal reached just hours before the April 16th 8 a.m. strike deadline.”

Specific vote margins were not released.

On April 13, the union issued a 72-hour strike notice that would have seen city workers walk off the job at 8 a.m. April 16 if significant movement was not made during mediation over the April 14-15 weekend.

The transit union, which had been staging a work-to-rule campaign since March 19, had planned to move into full strike mode as well.

At 5:30 a.m. April 16, the two sides reached an agreement and the strike was called off, with the transit workers ending their work-to-rule efforts.

Under the current contract, pay scales for employees in both Y022 and Y023 vary by a number of factors such as level of training, experience and so on.

In Y022, transit wages range from $27.82 and $35.25 hourly.

Meanwhile, there is a wide range of job classifications and wages for those in Y023, representing about 300 other city workers.

Among the 16 categories, most permanent employees earn between $22.85 and $52.73 per hour with one position (which the city subsidizes) through the Challenge Disability Resource Group at $12.35 per hour.

In Thursday’s statement, the union noted the agreement halted the establishment of what it believed would have created a two-tiered workforce.

“This issue was amongst the highest priorities of the workforce, and was important enough to trigger a strike mandate,” the union stated.

“The union bargaining teams successfully held the line, also preserving their existing severance and long service benefits.”

Members of the transit union voted on the contract last Sunday.

A number of meetings have been held over the last week for Y023 members to vote.

Ballots were counted early Thursday.

“Everyone is happy to once again focus on making the City of Whitehorse a great place to live and work,” said Steve Geick, the YEU’s president.

“Congratulations to everyone, and thanks to all those union members who stood united behind the bargaining teams.”

Jack Bourassa, the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s vice-president North, also commented on the deals.

“I’m happy both sides were able to find common ground and can now focus on their primary duties ... serving the citizens of Whitehorse, ” Bourassa said.

The agreements will now go before city council for a vote.

To ratify the deals, council would have to pass three readings of each through the bylaw process.

Mayor Dan Curtis told the Star this morning he’s “delighted” members of the two union locals voted to ratify the contracts.

He said he doesn’t see any issues with it making its way through the council process.

He noted the city’s negotiating team worked hard to stay within the city’s mandate while reaching agreements that are fair to both sides.

Curtis has said he’s thankful for all the work done by both the city’s and union’s negotiating teams to reach the agreements.

City officials said this morning work is underway to have the agreements brought forward at Monday’s council meeting.

As Monday is a standing committee meeting where issues are discussed, council wouldn’t vote on the first reading of the bylaw governing the agreement until its May 7 meeting.

The city’s last major labour disruption came in late 2000-early 2001, in the form of a four-month transit strike.