Leave for Negotiations Members of the MSEA-SEIU bargaining team (whose numbers shall not exceed three (3) for each unit plus the President and/or Vice President of MSEA-SEIU) shall suffer no loss in pay or benefits for participation in negotiations for a successor Agreement. Additionally, leave may be requested for other members necessary for participation on specific negotiations issues and such leave shall not be unreasonably denied. MSEA-SEIU shall give reasonable notice to the Office of Employee Relations of the names of those bargaining team members who will be attending particular bargaining sessions. MSEA-SEIU recognizes that exceptional circumstances might preclude the release of an individual on a particular day. The Office of Employee Relations will notify affected agencies of those individuals designated or otherwise requested to be made available on particular dates for participation in negotiations and will inform those agencies of the day, or days, when negotiations will take place. No additional compensation shall be paid if negotiations extend beyond the end of an employee's normal work hours. However, a good faith effort shall be made to schedule non-standard workweek employees so that their days off shall not fall on days of negotiations. Any designated employee who has a State vehicle assigned shall be allowed to use the vehicle while traveling to and from negotiations. Such employee shall be considered to be in duty status and shall have their uniform available for necessary use.
Leave for Medical and Dental Care (a) Where it is not possible to schedule medical and/or dental appointments or appointments with a registered midwife outside regularly scheduled working hours, reasonable time off for such appointments for employees or for dependent children shall be permitted, but where any such absence exceeds two hours, the full-time absence shall be charged to the entitlement described in Clause 20.12. "Medical, dental and/or registered midwife appointments" include only those services covered by the BC Medical Services Plan, the Public Service Dental Plan, the Extended Health Benefit Plan and assessment appointments with the Employee and Family Assistance Program.
(b) Employees in areas where adequate medical and dental facilities are not available shall be allowed to deduct from their credit described in Clause 20.12 the necessary time including travel and treatment time up to a maximum of three days to receive medical and dental care at the nearest medical centre for the employee, their spouse, dependent child and a dependent parent permanently residing in the employee's household or with whom the employee permanently resides. The Employer may request a certificate of a qualified medical or dental practitioner, as the case may be, stating that treatment could not be provided by facilities or services available at the employee's place of residence. An employee on leave provided by this clause shall be entitled to reimbursement of reasonable receipted expenses for accommodation and travel to a maximum of $510 effective April 1, 2019, $520 effective April 1, 2020, and $530 effective April 1, 2021 per calendar year.
(c) An employee otherwise entitled to leave pursuant to (b) above who chooses to travel on a vacation day or a day of rest or to remain at work and not accompany their spouse, dependent child or dependent parent, as provided in (b) above, may claim the reimbursement of receipted expenses under the conditions stipulated.
(d) Employees in receipt of STIIP benefits who would otherwise qualify for leave under this clause shall be eligible to claim expenses in the manner described above.
(e) Where leave pursuant to (b) above would be reduced, the Employer may approve airfare payment for the employee in lieu of the $510 effective April 1, 2019, $520 effective April 1, 2020, and $530 effective April 1, 2021 reimbursement, once per calendar year.
(f) For the purpose of this clause, "child" includes a child over the age of 18 residing in the employee's household who is permanently dependent on the employee due to mental or physical impairment.
Special Parental Allowance for Totally Disabled Employees (a) An employee who:
(i) fails to satisfy the eligibility requirement specified in subparagraph 17.05(a)(ii) solely because a concurrent entitlement to benefits under the Disability Insurance (DI) Plan, the Long-term Disability (LTD) Insurance portion of the Public Service Management Insurance Plan (PSMIP) or via the Government Employees Compensation Act prevents the employee from receiving Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan benefits, and
(ii) has satisfied all of the other eligibility criteria specified in paragraph 17.05(a), other than those specified in sections (A) and (B) of subparagraph 17.05(a)(iii), shall be paid, in respect of each week of benefits under the parental allowance not received for the reason described in subparagraph (i), the difference between ninety-three per cent (93%) of the employee's rate of pay and the gross amount of his or her weekly disability benefit under the DI Plan, the LTD Plan or via the Government Employees Compensation Act.
(b) An employee shall be paid an allowance under this clause and under clause 17.05 for a combined period of no more than the number of weeks during which the employee would have been eligible for parental, paternity or adoption benefits under the Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan, had the employee not been disqualified from Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan benefits for the reasons described in subparagraph (a)(i).
SICK LEAVE AND LONG-TERM DISABILITY (Articles 12.01 to 12.11 apply to full-time nurses only)
12.01 The Hospital will assume total responsibility for providing and funding a short-term sick leave plan at least equivalent to that described in the 1980 Hospitals of Ontario Disability Income Plan brochure. Effective January 1, 2006, new hires will be covered under the 1992 Hospitals of Ontario Disability Income Plan. The Hospital will pay 75% of the billed premium towards coverage of eligible employees under the long-term disability portion of the Plan (HOODIP or an equivalent plan). The employee will pay the balance of the billed premium through payroll deduction. For the purpose of transfer to the short-term portion of the disability program, employees on the payroll as of the effective date of the transfer with three (3) months or more of service shall be deemed to have three (3) months of service. For the purpose of transfer to the long-term portion of the disability program, employees on the active payroll as of the effective date of the transfer with one (1) year or more of service shall be deemed to have one (1) year of service.
12.02 Effective the first of the month following the transfer, all existing sick leave plans in the Participating Hospitals shall be terminated and any provisions relating to such plans shall be null and void under the respective Collective Agreements except as to those provisions relating to payout of unused sick leave benefits which are specifically dealt with hereinafter.
12.03 Existing sick leave credits for each employee shall be converted to a sick leave bank to the credit of the employee. The sick leave bank shall contain the unused sick leave days to the credit of the nurse on the effective date of the transfer to the Plan set out in Article 12.01. The "sick leave bank" shall be utilized to:
(a) Supplement payment for sick leave days under the new plan which would otherwise be at less than full wages, and;
(b) Where a payout provision existed under the former sick leave plan in the Collective Agreement, payout shall be made on the termination of employment, or in the case of death, to the nurse's estate. The parties may agree to voluntarily cash out existing sick leave banks. The amount of the payout shall be a cash settlement at the nurse's then current salary rate for any unused sick credits to the maximum provided under the sick leave plan in which the nurse participated as of October 23, 1981;
(c) Where, as of the effective date of transfer, an employee does not have the required service to qualify for payout on termination, her or his existing sick leave credits as of that date shall nevertheless be converted to a sick leave bank in accordance with the foregoing and the nurse shall be entitled to the same cash out provisions as set out in paragraph (b) above providing the nurse subsequently achieves the necessary service to qualify for payout under the conditions of the sick leave plan in which she or he participated as of October 23, 1981;
(d) Where a payout provision existed under the former sick leave plan in the Collective Agreement, a nurse who, as of the date of this award, has accumulated sick leave credits and is prevented from working for the Hospital on account of an occupational illness or accident that is recognized by The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board as compensable within the meaning of the Workplace and Safety Insurance Act, the Hospital, on application from the nurse, will supplement the award made by The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board for loss of wages to the nurse by such amount that the award of The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board for loss of wages, together with the supplementation of the Hospital, will equal one hundred per cent (100%) of the nurse's net earnings to the limit of the nurse's accumulated sick leave credits. Nurses may utilize such sick leave credits while awaiting approval of a claim for WSIB benefits.
12.04 When a nurse has completed any portion of her or his regularly scheduled tour prior to going on sick leave benefits or WSIB benefits, the nurse shall be paid for the balance of the tour at her or his regular straight time hourly rate. This provision will not disentitle the nurse to a lieu day under Article 15.05 if she or he otherwise qualifies.
12.05 Any dispute which may arise concerning a nurse's entitlement to short-term or long- term benefits under HOODIP or an equivalent plan may be subject to grievance and arbitration under the provisions of this Agreement. The Union agrees that it will encourage a nurse to utilize the carrier’s medical appeals process, if any, to resolve disputes.
12.06 Nurses presently employed who are covered by a long-term disability plan in effect as of the date of this award, may elect to be covered by HOODIP or to continue their present coverage.
12.07 The Hospital further agrees to pay employees an amount equal to any loss of benefits under HOODIP for the first two days of the fourth and subsequent period of absence in any calendar year.
12.08 The Hospital will notify each nurse of the amount of unused sick leave in her or his bank annually.
12.09 For nurses whose regular hours of work are other than the standard work day, the short-term sick leave plan will provide payment for the number of hours of absence according to the scheduled tour to a total of 562.5 hours. All other provisions of the existing plan shall apply mutatis mutandis.
12.10 Absences due to pregnancy related illness shall be considered as sick leave under the sick leave plan.
12.11 A nurse who is absent from work as a result of an illness or injury sustained at work and who has been awaiting approval of a claim for WSIB benefits for a period longer than one complete tour or more may apply to the Hospital for payment equivalent to the lesser of the benefit the nurse would receive from WSIB if the nurse's claim was approved, or the benefit to which the nurse would be entitled under the short-term sick portion of the disability income plan (HOODIP or equivalent plan). Payment will be provided only if the nurse provides evidence of disability satisfactory to the Hospital and a written undertaking satisfactory to the Hospital that any payments will be refunded to the Hospital following final determination of the claim by The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. If the claim for WSIB benefits is not approved, the monies paid as an advance will be applied towards the benefits to which the nurse would be entitled under the short-term portion of the disability income plan. Any payment under this provision will continue for a maximum of fifteen (15) weeks. (Articles 12.12, 12.13 and 12.14 apply to both full-time and part-time nurses)
12.12 Nurses returning to work from an illness or injury compensable from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board will be assigned light work as necessary, if available.
12.13 A nurse who transfers from full-time to part-time may elect to retain her or his accumulated sick leave credits to be utilized during part-time or subsequent full-time employment as provided under the sick leave plan in which the nurse participates as of October 23, 1981.
12.14 If the Employer requires the employee to obtain a medical certificate, the employer shall pay the full cost of obtaining the certificate.
Leave for Association Business The Hospital agrees to grant leaves of absence, without pay, to nurses selected by the Association to attend Association business including conferences, conventions and Provincial Committee meetings and to any nurse elected to the position of Local Co-ordinator. The cumulative total leave of absence, the amount of notice, the number of nurses that may be absent at any time from one area and the number of days (including those of the Local Co-ordinator) is set out in the Appendix of Local Provisions. During such leave of absence, a nurse's salary and applicable benefits or percentage in lieu of fringe benefits shall be maintained by the Hospital and the local Association agrees to reimburse the Hospital in the amount of the daily rate of the full-time nurse or in the amount of the full cost of such salary and percentage in lieu of fringe benefits of a part-time nurse except for Provincial Committee meetings which will be reimbursed by the Association. The Hospital will bill the local Association within a reasonable period of time. Part-time nurses will receive service and seniority credit for all leaves granted under this Article.
Special Maternity Allowance for Totally Disabled Employees (a) An employee who:
(i) fails to satisfy the eligibility requirement specified in subparagraph 17.02(a)(ii) solely because a concurrent entitlement to benefits under the Disability Insurance (DI) Plan, the Long term Disability (LTD) Insurance portion of the Public Service Management Insurance Plan (PSMIP) or the Government Employees Compensation Act prevents her from receiving Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan maternity benefits, and
(ii) has satisfied all of the other eligibility criteria specified in paragraph 17.02(a), other than those specified in sections (A) and (B) of subparagraph 17.02(a)(iii), shall be paid, in respect of each week of maternity allowance not received for the reason described in subparagraph (i), the difference between ninety-three per cent (93%) of her weekly rate of pay and the gross amount of her weekly disability benefit under the DI Plan, the LTD Plan or via the Government Employees Compensation Act.
(b) An employee shall be paid an allowance under this clause and under clause 17.02 for a combined period of no more than the number of weeks during which she would have been eligible for maternity benefits under the Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan had she not been disqualified from Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance maternity benefits for the reasons described in subparagraph (a)(i).
Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness Leave a) Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness leaves granted to a permanent teacher, long-term occasional teacher or teacher hired into a term position under this Article shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, as amended.
b) The teacher will provide to the employer such evidence as necessary to prove entitlement under the Employment Standards Act.
c) A teacher contemplating taking such leave(s) shall notify the employer of the intended date the leave is to begin and the anticipated date of return to active employment.
d) Seniority and experience continue to accrue during such leave(s).
e) Where a teacher is on such leave(s), the Employer shall continue to pay its share of the benefit premiums, where applicable. To maintain participation and coverage under the Collective Agreement, the teacher must agree to provide for payment for the teacher’s share of the benefit premiums, where applicable.
f) In order to receive pay for such leaves, a teacher must access Employment Insurance and the Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) in accordance with g) to j), if allowable by legislation. An employee who is eligible for E.I. is not entitled to benefits under a school board’s sick leave and short term disability plan.
g) The Employer shall provide for permanent teachers, long-term occasional teachers and teachers hired into a term position who access such Leaves, a SEB plan to top up their E.I.
SAVINGS/FORCE MAJEURE A force majeure occurrence is an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled. Force majeure includes, but is not limited to, acts of God, acts of war, acts of public enemies, strikes, fires, explosions, actions of the elements, floods, or other similar causes beyond the control of the Contractor or the Commissioner in the performance of the Contract which non- performance, by exercise of reasonable diligence, cannot be prevented. Contractor shall provide the Commissioner with written notice of any force majeure occurrence as soon as the delay is known. Neither the Contractor nor the Commissioner shall be liable to the other for any delay in or failure of performance under the Contract due to a force majeure occurrence. Any such delay in or failure of performance shall not constitute default or give rise to any liability for damages. The existence of such causes of such delay or failure shall extend the period for performance to such extent as determined by the Contractor and the Commissioner to be necessary to enable complete performance by the Contractor if reasonable diligence is exercised after the cause of delay or failure has been removed. Notwithstanding the above, at the discretion of the Commissioner where the delay or failure will significantly impair the value of the Contract to the State or to Authorized Users, the Commissioner may:
a. Accept allocated performance or deliveries from the Contractor. The Contractor, however, hereby agrees to grant preferential treatment to Authorized Users with respect to Product subjected to allocation; and/or
b. Purchase from other sources (without recourse to and by the Contractor for the costs and expenses thereof) to replace all or part of the Products which are the subject of the delay, which purchases may be deducted from the Contract quantities without penalty or liability to the State; or
c. Terminate the Contract or the portion thereof which is subject to delays, and thereby discharge any unexecuted portion of the Contract or the relative part thereof.
Leave for Union Business The Hospital agrees to grant leaves of absence, without pay, to nurses selected by the Union to attend Union business including conferences, conventions and Provincial Committee meetings and to any nurse elected to the position of Local Co-ordinator. The cumulative total leave of absence, the amount of notice, the number of nurses that may be absent at any time from one area and the number of days (including those of the Local Co-ordinator) is set out in the Appendix of Local Provisions. During such leave of absence, a nurse's salary and applicable benefits or percentage in lieu of fringe benefits shall be maintained by the Hospital and the local Union agrees to reimburse the Hospital in the amount of the daily rate of the full-time nurse or in the amount of the full cost of such salary and percentage in lieu of fringe benefits of a part-time nurse except for Provincial Committee meetings which will be reimbursed by the Union. The Hospital will xxxx the local Union within a reasonable period of time. Part-time nurses will receive service and seniority credit for all leaves granted under this Article.
Leave for Union Activities Upon request by the Union, leave without pay will be granted to any employee duly authorized to represent employees of this bargaining unit at:
a) Executive, Council meetings or Conventions of the Union and Labour Education Seminars. A written request for such leave shall be submitted at least twenty (20) days in advance. Such leave shall be limited to a total of four (4) employees at any one time, and to a maximum aggregate total of four hundred and fifty (450) working hours in any calendar year. The maximum leave for any individual Union official shall not exceed sixty (60) hours and one hundred (100) working hours for an Executive Officer. The Company will consider reasonable requests from the Union to increase the individual and/or aggregate maximum. Such leave shall not constitute a break in continuity of service in seniority, severance pay, or other benefits under this Agreement.
b) In order to attend the CEP National Convention every other year (or every third year) up to four (4) employees will be released and the maximum aggregate total of working hours may be increased by an additional one hundred thirty (130) working hours, exclusive of the individual limits in above to attend the CEP National Convention. The Company will be advised of the convention dates as far in advance as possible. A written request for such leave will be submitted to the Company at least sixty (60) days in advance.
c) It is understood that operational requirements may prevent the release of particular employee(s) under this Article and in such case the Local Union shall be allowed to name the alternate(s), however such requests for leave will not be unreasonably denied.
d) An employee on unpaid Union leave under this Article shall be compensated at his/her regular rate for the leave by the Company. The Company will then invoice the Union for reimbursement of such compensation which shall be paid by the Union within fifteen (15) days of the date of the invoice.
e) In addition, up to one (1) employee may accept a full-time elective position with the Union or an official labour body for a period not exceeding two (2) years. Any additional yearly periods may be granted at the Company’s discretion upon receipt of a written request from the employee and the President of the Union. The Company may hire temporary employees to fill the vacancies created by such leave of absence. During the employee’s leave and subject to the limitations of the various benefit plans, the employee may continue to participate provided the employee prepays all premiums and contributions. During such leave the employee shall not accumulate seniority for the purpose of annual leave credits and severance pay.
