Family Illness Leave An employee will be granted leave of absence for up to five (5) days per year without loss of pay or benefits for family illness. Additional family illness leave may be granted by the employer.
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.
Long Term Leave Any employee who declines a reappointment as a Teaching Assistant in order to interrupt his/her program of graduate study for a period not to exceed one (1) year will not jeopardize his/her consideration for reappointment under Article l3.03.
Long Term Disability (LTD 4.7.1 The school board shall cooperate in the administration of the LTD Plan. It is understood that administration means that the school board will co-operate with the enrolment and deduction of premiums and provide available necessary data to the insurer, upon request. The school board will remit premiums collected to the carrier on behalf of the teachers.
4.7.2 Where the plan administrator implements changes in the terms and conditions of the LTD Plan or the selection of an insurance carrier, the school board shall, for administrative purposes, be advised of changes at least thirty (30) days prior to the date the changes are to be implemented.
4.7.3 The Association is the policyholder of the Long-Term Disability Plans effective January 1, 2013, except as determined by 4.7.9 below. School boards shall promptly provide all data, related to the Long-Term Disability Plans, as requested by the Association’s carrier.
4.7.4 All teachers shall participate in the Long-Term Disability Plan as a condition of their employment subject to the terms of the respective plan.
4.7.5 The Association will work with school boards and/or OCSTA to consider including non-teaching staff in a separate plan(s) where the viability of a current LTD plan remains in question after the teachers are withdrawn from the existing plan. The Association will decide upon any request by a school board whether or not to accept other employee groups into a long term disability plan(s), subject to plan provisions as determined by the Association.
4.7.6 The school boards shall enroll all teachers, identified in paragraph 4.7.4 above, in the Long-Term Disability Plan in the manner prescribed by the Association.
4.7.7 The school boards shall complete the Plan Administrator Statement as required by the plan provisions. The plan provider shall provide teachers identified in paragraph 4.7.4 above represented by the Association with LTD Claim kits.
4.7.8 The school boards shall be responsible for the deduction and remittance of LTD premium contributions within fifteen (15) days in the manner prescribed by the Association. Boards shall be responsible for collecting premiums from teachers who are on a leave of absence from the board.
4.7.9 The Association shall consider requests by the Dufferin-Peel, Huron-Superior, and London District Catholic School Boards to be a part of the Association Long-Term Disability Plan. The school boards shall continue to pay the LTD premiums for teachers and remit said premiums in accordance with paragraph
Maternity Disability Leave Parental Leave
Extended Illness Leave When an employee is absent from his/her duties on account of illness or accident for a period of five school months or less, whether or not the illness or accident arises out of or in the course of employment, the amount deducted from the salary due the employee for any of the five-school-month periods in which absence occurs shall not exceed the sum which is actually paid a substitute employee employed to fill the employee’s position during his/her absence, or if no substitute employee was employed, the amount that would have been paid to the substitute had a substitute been employed. The sick leave, including accumulated sick leave, and the five-month period shall run consecutively. In other words, the five-month period stipulated above begins immediately after use of the employee’s current annual ten days plus any accumulated sick leave. When the employee remains absent after use of the five-month differential pay leave, the employee shall be in unpaid status. When the employee has exhausted all available sick leave, including accumulated sick leave, and continues to be absent on account of illness or accident for a period beyond the five-month period, and the employee is not medically able to resume the duties of his/her position, the employee shall, if not placed in another position, be placed on a reemployment list for a period of 24 months if the employee is on probationary status or for a period of 39 months if the employee is on permanent status. When the employee is medically able, during the 24- or 39-month period, the employee shall be returned to employment in a position for which he/she is credentialed and is qualified. The 24-or 39-month period shall commence at the expiration of the five-month period described above. This five-month period shall be implemented as set forth in the mandatory provisions of Education Code Section 44977 (as amended by SB 1019, Chapter 30 of the Statutes of 1998) and the mandatory provisions of Education Code Section 44978.1 (as newly enacted by the same Chapter 30 of the Statutes of 1998.)
Long Term Disability (income replacement during a qualifying disability equal to sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of basic monthly earnings to the established maximum following a one hundred and twenty (120) working day elimination period);
Long-Term Disability (Employee Paid Plans)
a) All permanent Teachers shall participate in the long term disability plan (LTD Plan) as a condition of employment, subject to the terms of the LTD plan.
b) The Board shall cooperate in the administration of the LTD Plan. It is understood that administration means that the Board will co-operate with the enrolment and deduction of premiums and provide available necessary data to the insurer, upon request. The Board will remit premiums collected to the carrier on behalf of the Teachers.
c) Where the plan administrator implements changes in the terms and conditions of the LTD Plan or the selection of an insurance carrier, the Board shall, for administrative purposes, be advised of changes at least thirty (30) days prior to the date the changes are to be implemented.
Pregnancy Disability Leave
A. Leave for pregnancy or childbirth related disability is in addition to any leave granted under FMLA or WFLA.
B. Pregnancy disability leave will be granted for the period of time that an employee is sick or temporarily disabled because of pregnancy and/or childbirth. An employee must submit a written request for disability leave due to pregnancy and/or childbirth in accordance with agency policy. An employee may be required to submit medical certification or verification for the period of the disability. Such leave due to pregnancy and/or childbirth may be a combination of sick leave, vacation leave, personal holiday, compensatory time, exchange time and leave without pay. The combination and use of paid and unpaid leave will be the choice of the employee.
Illness Leave Employees on an illness leave shall use all of their available entitlement time (i.e., vacation and paid or unpaid personal days) prior to using excused unpaid time.
