A Memorandum of Agreement has been signed between SAHO and SEIU-West.
Highlights of the agreement are as follows:
Wages & Term – April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2017
April 1, 2012 – 2.0%
April 1, 2013 – 1.5%
April 1, 2014 – 1.5%
April 1, 2015 – 1.55%
April 1, 2016 – 1.95%
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Wage increases are applied to the base rate of pay.
- Market
Supplements and/or Market Adjustments will be added to base rates of
pay after applicable wage increases have been applied.
Retroactivity (for Employees of any Employer that is party to the Collective Agreement)
- All employees as of the date of ratification are eligible for retroactive wage adjustments on all paid hours.
- Employees who have moved between employers shall apply to previous employers for that portion of the retroactivity.
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Employees who have retired shall be eligible for retroactive wage
increases based on all paid hours up to and including the date of
retirement.
- Employees who have been laid off subsequent to April 1, 2012 and
are unable to maintain employment and are not on staff upon
ratification will be eligible for retroactive wage increases based on
all paid hours up to and including the date of lay-off.
-
Employees who have passed away on or after April 1, 2012 are
eligible for retroactivity. The estate of the employee must contact the
employer and apply for such retroactivity.
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SEIU-West affiliated employees eligible for a retroactive wage adjustment pay will be paid in a “non-pay period” week.
Shift Differential
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The shift differential will increase from two dollars and ten cents
($2.10) per hour to two dollars and forty three cents ($2.43) per hour
upon ratification.
-
Effective October 1, 2014, the shift differential will increase from
two dollars and forty three cents ($2.43) per hour to two dollars and
seventy five cents ($2.75) per hour.
Weekend Differential
-
Effective April 1, 2015, there will be an increase to the weekend
differential from one dollar and eighty cents ($1.80) per hour to two
dollars and twenty five cents ($2.25) per hour.
Standby
- Upon ratification all employees assigned to standby shall receive a standby premium as follows:
- Three dollars and fifteen cents ($3.15) per hour
for each hour on standby on a regular working day with a minimum payment
for eight (8) hours; (increased from $2.19 per hour)
- Four
dollars and twenty five cents ($4.25) per hour for each hour on standby
on days off and Statutory Holidays with a minimum payment for eight (8)
hours (increased from $4.12 per hour)
- Upon
ratification, OTFT EMS employees shall be paid five dollars ($5.00) for
each hour on Standby with a minimum payment of eight (8) hours each day
on Standby (increased from $4.12 per hour)
Transportation
- Effective April 1, 2014, a monthly car allowance will be
provided to employees required to use their vehicle for Employer
business on a continuing basis, as follows:
- Fifty dollars ($50.00) per month for an employee who performs work during the month; plus
- Nine
dollars ($9.00) for each day the employee is required to use his or her
own vehicle to perform work; to a maximum of one hundred dollars ($100)
in a calendar month.
Professional Fees
-
Effective April 1, 2014 the maximum reimbursement will be two
hundred dollars ($200) increased from one hundred and seventy-five
($175) or the professional fee established by the professional
association required to practice as of April 1, 2012, whichever is
greater.
- Reimbursement for Employees working in two (2) or more
Geographic Health Regions shall receive entitlement under this provision
from a maximum of one (1) Employer only.
Mentorship Program (NEW) SEIU-West
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Mentoring involves a voluntary, mutual beneficial and long-term
occupational relationship between Mentors and Mentees. Within one
hundred and eighty (180) days of signing of the Collective Agreement,
where the Employer determines they want to establish a mentorship
program, the Union and the Employer shall commence discussions regarding
the program.
Letter of Understanding regarding Extended Health and Enhanced Dental Benefits
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The Employer assures that the current level of benefits provided,
pursuant to the Extended Health and Enhanced Dental Benefits Plan as of
April 1, 2012, will continue at no cost to the employee, until March 31,
2017.
Letter of Understanding #8 Re: Contracting Out
1. The Employer will not be restricted by this understanding
from continuing its historical employment practices including but not
limited to contracting out of work of the bargaining unit.
2. When contracting out of bargaining unit work is being
contemplated, the Employer will advise the union as soon as reasonably
practicable, but in any event shall not be less than four (4) months
prior to a decision being made by the employer.
The Employer will advise of the department/facility/agency
or services that may be affected. At the request of either party the
parties will meet to discuss the contemplated contracting out situation.
3. When contracting out of bargaining unit work is required,
and bargaining unit work is to be abolished, the Employer will provide
notice to the union as soon as possible after the decision to contract
out has been made, but in any event, shall give no less than four (4)
months notice to the union.
4. If the Employer contracts out work of the bargaining unit and full-time or part-time position(s) are to be abolished;
a. Article 12 will apply to those affected employees with less than three (3) years seniority; and
b.
Employees with three (3) or more years of seniority, who are affected
by the abolishment of bargaining unit work, shall have access, in order
of seniority, to one (1) of the following options:
i. Where the employee’s existing job remains, the employee may choose to maintain their job.
ii. The
employee may choose to voluntarily terminate employment with the
Employer and access an enhanced severance package. This enhanced
severance package would include the normal severance calculation in
addition to a separation allowance of five hundred dollars ($500) per
year of seniority (1948.8 hours) up to a maximum of six thousand dollars
($6000).
Partial years of seniority will be credited on a pro-rated basis.
iii. The
employee may choose to be redeployed into vacancies, including hard to
recruit positions, with mutual agreement between the Union and the
Employer. If redeployment efforts are not successful then the employee
may choose from options ii, iv, v, vi within this LOU or layoff options
as per Article 12.
Employees
who are redeployed may be placed into the same classification from which
they were laid off or into a classification for which they have the
necessary qualifications, including equivalencies, required to fill the
position and ability to perform the work.
Employees
placed into such positions are subject to a trial period as per Article
12.10. Failure of the trial period will make the employee eligible for
further redeployment or an enhanced severance package.
iv. The
employee may choose to access unpaid leave in order to complete a
training/educational program to obtain a qualification required for a
classification within the Regional Health Authority. The Employer will
reimburse the employee for actual expenses related to tuition,
enrollment fees, books and supplies needed for the training/educational
program to a maximum of eight thousand five hundred dollars ($8500)
(inclusive of any amount received through the Career Adjustment
Assistance Program).
This unpaid
leave would be for a maximum of three (3) years. Extensions may be
granted as mutually agreed between the parties. After completing the
training/education program the employee shall be placed on a
re-employment list for a period of thirty-six (36) months, retain
seniority and be eligible to apply for vacant positions. It is the
employee’s obligation to apply for positions of interest. The employee
shall not be entitled to select severance after exercising this option
and having received any reimbursement. Employees who select this option
are entitled to work for the Regional Health Authority;
v. Upon
abolishment of their full-time or part-time position, an employee may
choose to work as a casual employee in a job classification as per the
terms of Article 11.10.
vi.
Employees who do not select one of the preceding options shall be placed
on an unpaid leave for up to three (3) years and shall be entitled to
apply for any vacancy in accordance with Article 11.05 for which they
have the necessary qualifications required to fill the position and
ability to perform the work. Where an employee is awarded and accepts a
position for which they have applied and successfully pass the trial
period, the employee shall no longer be eligible for an enhanced
severance package as per 4(b)(ii) above.
The provisions of
vi. would not preclude an employee from choosing options from 12.03 (b)
which would allow the employee to be eligible to apply for Employment
Insurance benefits.
After the unpaid
leave expires and the employee has not been successful in obtaining a
position, or has declined to accept a vacancy for which he/she would
otherwise be successful, the employee shall be considered terminated and
shall be paid an enhanced severance package as per 4(b)(ii) above. The
time spent on unpaid administrative leave shall not be used in the
calculation of the enhanced severance package.
5. If casual hours are to be abolished as per 3 above such
affected casual employee may choose to work as a casual employee in a
job classification as per the terms of Article 11.10.
6. In conjunction with the above options, any affected employee may
access the Career Adjustment Assistance Program as provided by the
Government of Saskatchewan, in accordance with the terms of that plan.
7. This Letter of Understanding shall remain in effect from the date of
signing and shall continue from year to year thereafter except where the
parties have mutually agreed to amend or revise.
Note there are a number of areas within the tentative agreement where
the parties have agreed to interest based consultative processes to
discuss and come to resolution on outstanding issues not addressed in
collective bargaining.
