Maternity Disability Leave Parental Leave
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.
Disability Retirement If, as a result of your incapacity due to physical or mental illness, You shall have been absent from the full-time performance of your duties with the Company for 6 consecutive months, and within 30 days after written notice of termination is given You shall not have returned to the full-time performance of your duties, your employment may be terminated for "Disability." Termination of your employment by the Company or You due to your "Retirement" shall mean termination in accordance with the Company's retirement policy, including early retirement, generally applicable to its salaried employees or in accordance with any retirement arrangement established with your consent with respect to You.
Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave An Employee who is expecting the birth or adoption of a child shall be entitled to maternity/paternity/adoption leave without pay, provided she presents a medical certificate confirming the probable date of confinement, or in the case of adoption, gives the Employer notice of eligibility. Except in extenuating circumstances, the notice shall be submitted in writing at least twenty-eight (28) days in advance of the leave and shall specify the probable date of commencement and the anticipated length of leave. The following conditions shall apply:
(a) Leave of Absence for maternity/paternity/adoption shall be for up to eighteen (18) months as requested by the Employee, except in extenuating circumstances when, in the opinion of a medical practitioner, the leave should be further extended.
(b) Upon return from such leave, the Employee will resume employment at the same worksite, in the same or in a comparable position prior to the granting of such leave. In the event the Employee on Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave is affected by lay off, she shall be afforded access to the provisions of Article 26, Layoff And Work Resumption.
(c) Notice of intention to return to work or request for a change of the length of the leave of absence, must be forwarded to the Employer twenty-eight (28) days prior to the expiration of the leave. The Employee shall be entitled to one (1) extension of said leave. However, the entire length of such leave of absence shall not exceed eighteen (18) months.
(d) An Employee shall have access to sick leave credits as per Article 12.07.
(e) Accrual of seniority when on such leave is calculated as follows:
(i) For full-time Employees, seniority shall accrue as if they were working.
(ii) For other than full-time Employees who have worked for one (1) year or more: 52 Week of Leave
(iii) For other than full-time Employees who have worked for less than one (1) year:
(f) Supplemental Employment Insurance Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) The Employer will implement a Supplemental Employment Benefits Plan. Employees will receive the Supplementary Employment Benefits if they meet eligibility requirements. Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) shall apply to all Employees.
Vacation Leave on Retirement An employee scheduled to retire and to receive pension benefits under the Public Service Pension Plan Rules or who has reached the mandatory retiring age, shall be granted full vacation entitlement for the final calendar year of service.
Pre-Retirement Counseling Leave Each employee within four (4) years of chosen retirement age or date shall be granted, on a one-time basis, up to three and one-half (3-1/2) days leave with pay to pursue bona fide pre-retirement programs. Employees shall request the use of leave provided in this Section at least five (5) days prior to the intended day of use.
Return from Leave of Absence (a) Before a Nurse may return to work from a leave granted under Article 9.00, she or he must provide a minimum of four (4) weeks written notice of the specific date of his or her return to work, or such shorter time as mutually agreed.
(b) Upon return from an approved Unpaid Leave of Absence, a Nurse shall be reinstated to her or his former position unless the position has been discontinued, in which case the Nurse shall be appointed to an equivalent position.
(c) This clause requiring four (4) weeks written notice, does not apply to other leaves granted by an express provision of this Collective Agreement with different requirements for written notice.
Parental/Adoption Leave a) A full-time or regular-part time nurse who commenced employment with the Employer at least thirteen (13) weeks before the expected date of delivery or date of custody of a child and is a parent, shall be entitled to thirty seven (37) weeks of parental or adoption leave of absence without pay, in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act of Ontario, except as amended in this Article.
b) The nurse shall advise the Employer in writing seven (7) weeks in advance, but not later than two (2) weeks in advance, of the date the parental/adoption leave is to commence and end. Such leave must commence no later than thirty-five (35) weeks after the child was born or came into the custody, care or control of the parent.
c) The nurse shall re-confirm her intention to return to work or may request changes to dates originally approved in subsection b) above by written notification to be received by the Employer at least seven (7) weeks in advance thereof. The nurse shall be reinstated to her former position unless the position has been discontinued in which case she shall be placed in a comparable position.
d) A full-time nurse’s seniority, vacation and sick leave shall continue to accrue during parental and adoption leave. However, the nurse will not be paid for named holidays occurring during such leaves of absence. A regular part-time nurse who is on an approved parental/adoption leave shall accrue seniority while on such leave, calculated on the basis of averaging her hours over the twenty (20) week period immediately preceding the week in which her leave commences.
e) During the nurse's parental or adoption leave, the nurse shall continue to participate in the pension plan and insured benefit plans (applicable to full-time nurses only) she is enrolled in immediately prior to commencing her leave, unless she gives the Employer seven (7) weeks advance written notice before her leave is to commence that she does not intend to do so. The nurse shall be required to prepay her share of any premiums and pension contributions.
f) A nurse returning from parental/adoption leave shall be paid at the same step in salary scale that she had attained prior to going on such leave of absence. Should an anniversary increment fall during such leave of absence, the nurse shall receive her anniversary increment upon her return to employment.
g) Nurses hired to replace nurses who are on approved parental/adoption leave, may be released and such release shall not be the subject of a grievance or arbitration. If retained by the Employer, the nurse shall be credited with seniority from her date of hire subject to successfully completing her probationary period.
Death, Retirement or Disability Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically upon Executive’s death or Retirement during the Employment Period. For purposes of this Agreement, “Retirement” shall mean normal retirement as defined in the Company’s then-current retirement plan, or if there is no such retirement plan, “Retirement” shall mean voluntary termination after age 65 with ten years of service. If the Company determines in good faith that the Disability of Executive has occurred during the Employment Period (pursuant to the definition of Disability set forth below), it may give to Executive written notice of its intention to terminate Executive’s employment. In such event, Executive’s employment with the Company shall terminate effective on the 30th day after receipt of such written notice by Executive (the “Disability Effective Date”), provided that, within the 30 days after such receipt, Executive shall not have returned to full-time performance of Executive’s duties. For purposes of this Agreement, “Disability” shall mean a mental or physical disability as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with standards and procedures similar to those under the Company’s employee long-term disability plan, if any. At any time that the Company does not maintain such a long-term disability plan, “Disability” shall mean the inability of Executive, as determined by the Board, to perform the essential functions of his regular duties and responsibilities, with or without reasonable accommodation, due to a medically determinable physical or mental condition which has lasted (or can reasonably be expected to last) for twelve workweeks in any twelve-month period. At the request of Executive or his personal representative, the Board’s determination that the Disability of Executive has occurred shall be certified by two physicians mutually agreed upon by Executive, or his personal representative, and the Company. Failing such independent certification (if so requested by Executive), Executive’s termination shall be deemed a termination by the Company without Cause and not a termination by reason of his Disability.
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).
