FPSLREB Decisions

Introduction

1 The Terms of References of this Arbitration Board were established by the Chair of the Public Service Labour Relations Board (the “PSLRB”) on November 21, 2013 (2013 PSLRB 148, 2013 PSLRB 149, 2013 PSLRB 150 and 2013 PSLRB 152). Submissions on all four collective agreements were heard by the Arbitration Board on March 17, 2014.

2 The following individuals participated in the arbitration on behalf of the Research Council Employees' Association (“RCEA”): Christopher Rootham, Joan Van Den Bergh, Steve Lussier, Nancy Ross, Cathie Fraser, Kerry Foster and Andre LeBlanc. The following individuals participated in the arbitration on behalf of the National Research Council of Canada (“NRC”): Caroline Richard, Gerry Bauder, Sheri Enikanolalye, Marc Dabros, Benoit Chartrand, Monique Boissonneault and Emily Harrison.

3 Prior to the establishment of the Arbitration Board, the parties came to an agreement on a number of matters in dispute. The parties requested that the Arbitration Board include these resolved issues in this Award (see Appendices A, B, C and D).

Bargaining History

4 The Collective Agreements for the Administrative Support Group (“AD”), the Administrative Services Group (“AS) and the Purchasing and Supply Group (“PG”) expired on April 30, 2011. The Research Council Employees Association (“RCEA”) served notice to bargain on February 3, 2011. The parties conducted bargaining on May 29 and 30, 2012 and on February 6, 2013. The RCEA filed a request for establishment of an Arbitration Board on February 19, 2013.

5 The Collective Agreement for the Computer Systems Administration Group (“CS”) expired on December 31, 2011. The RCEA served notice to bargain on October 11, 2011. The parties conducted bargaining on March 27, 2013. The RCEA filed a request for the establishment of an Arbitration Board on October 30, 2013.

The Employer and the Bargaining Units

6 The NRC is a separate agency of the federal government (under Schedule V of the Financial Administration Act). The NRC's mandate includes undertaking, assisting or promoting scientific research, publishing scientific information and operating astronomical observatories.

7 The AD Group provides administrative support in such areas as human resources, finance, library services and general administration. There are approximately 274 employees in the bargaining unit.

8 The AS Group provides administrative services in areas such as client services, pay and benefits, and records management. There are approximately 190 employees in this bargaining unit.

9 The PG Group provides services in the conduct of procurement. There are approximately 28 employees in this bargaining unit.

10 The CS Group provides computer-related services. There are approximately 179 employees in this bargaining unit.

11 The RCEA also represents the Operational Group (OP) at the NRC. The arbitration hearing for this group was heard on March 19, 2014 by the same panel and a separate award is being issued.

12 The RCEA also represents the Technical Category (TO) bargaining unit at the NRC. An arbitral award for this bargaining unit was issued on January 15, 2013.    

Agreement of the Parties on Issues in Dispute

13 In collective bargaining, the parties agreed to the following (the relevant collective agreement is noted after each article):

• Article 39.17 (AD): Overtime
• Article 39.18 (PG): Overtime
• Article 7 (CS): Information
• Article 31 (CS): Vacation Leave
• Article 31.10(b) (CS): Vacation Leave
• Article 33.3.1 (CS): Sick Leave
• Articles 39.16, 39.17 and 39.19 (CS): Overtime Compensation in Cash or Leave with Pay
• Appendix C (CS): Vacation Leave Carry-over Provisions 

14 In its submissions to the Arbitration Board, the bargaining agent agreed to the following:

• Overtime (Article 39) – payment of overtime “monetarily” instead of by cheque

15 The parties agreed to the deletion of pay schedules for the AD agreement, as there are no employees governed by these schedules.

Issues withdrawn at the Hearing

16 The RCEA stated that it would not be pursuing its proposals with regard to the following:

• Medical leave appointments extended beyond pregnant employees.

Issues in Dispute

17 In reaching a determination on the issues in dispute, the Arbitration Board is governed by section 148 of the Public Service Labour Relations Act:

148. In the conduct of its proceedings and in making an arbitral award, the arbitration board must take into account the following factors, in addition to any other factors that it considers relevant:

(a) the necessity of attracting competent persons to, and retaining them in, the public service in order to meet the needs of Canadians;

(b) the necessity of offering compensation and other terms and conditions of employment in the public service that are comparable to those of employees in similar occupations in the private and public sectors, including any geographic, industrial or other variations that the arbitration board considers relevant;

(c) the need to maintain appropriate relationships with respect to compensation and other terms and conditions of employment as between different classification levels within an occupation and as between occupations in the public service;

(d) the need to establish compensation and other terms and conditions of employment that are fair and reasonable in relation to the qualifications required, the work performed, the responsibility assumed and the nature of the services rendered; and

(e) the state of the Canadian economy and the Government of Canada’s fiscal circumstances.

18 The Arbitration Board has considered all of these factors in reaching its determination on the matters at issue.

19 In light of the fact that the NRC’s proposal relating to severance for voluntary departures includes proposed changes to a number of other articles in the collective agreement, this Award will address that proposal first. The Award will then address each proposal in the order of the collective agreement.

Severance Pay – Article 56 (All Groups)

20 The NRC proposed the elimination of the accrual of severance benefits in the event of voluntary departures (resignation and retirement). The employer proposal would preserve current entitlements and allow employees to cash-out some or all of severance or to defer collecting the current entitlement until departure from the NRC. As part of this proposal, the employer proposes an additional wage increase of 0.25% in 2011 and 0.5% in 2013, an increase in the amount of severance pay in the event of layoff, an increase in the amount of leave for bereavement and family responsibilities, and restoring sick leave credits to term employees upon re-hiring within one year. The NRC noted that this proposal was in line with collective agreements in the core public service.

21 In addition, the NRC proposed the addition of the following article (56.7.2 for the AD, PG and CS Groups; 56.2 for the AS Group) to clarify that severance payouts are included in Workforce Adjustment calculations:

For greater certainty, payments made pursuant to [56.9 to 56.12 in AD, PG and CS Groups; 56.15 to 56.18 in AS Group] or similar provisions in other collective agreements shall be considered as a termination benefit for the administration of this clause. This payment shall also be included in Workforce Adjustments (WFA) calculations with respect to the maximum total layoff benefits to which a surplus employee is entitled under the NRC WFA Policy.

22 The WFA Policy forms part of the collective agreement. The WFA Policy provides the following lay-off benefits (section 3.6.13.1 and 3.6.13.7):

• A notice period of 20 weeks plus one week for every year of continuous service or portion thereof;
• An outplacement benefit equivalent to 8 weeks’ pay or $8,000 whichever is greater;
• Severance pay on lay-off as per the applicable collective agreement…

The maximum total benefits to which a surplus employee is entitled under this policy shall be an amount not exceeding the equivalent of 70 weeks’ pay…

 …

The employee’s notice period entitlement, comprised of either notice worked, a lump sum in lieu of notice or a combination thereof, will be reduced as necessary to maintain a cap of 70 weeks of pay entitlement.

23 The bargaining agent recognized that the removal of severance for voluntary departures and the associated improvements to the collective agreement had been established as the pattern in bargaining across the federal public service. It noted that the additional article proposed by the employer with regards to WFA calculations was not part of the pattern. The bargaining agent submitted that this language is inconsistent with what was agreed to for the TO Group; is inconsistent with collective agreements in the core public service; and is grossly unfair and entirely without justification. The bargaining agent argued that the employer was seeking an extraordinary concession at arbitration and arbitration is not the proper forum for such a significant breakthrough: Air Canada v. C.A.W., Local 2002 (Pension Agreements for New Hires), 2011 CLB 23851.

24 The employer submitted that this language was not included in the TO collective agreement because it was determined by the arbitration board that the proposal was submitted late and was not included in its terms of reference established by the Chair of the PSLRB. The employer further submitted that the clarification it was seeking was not required in agreements in the core public service because the WFA provisions were different for those bargaining units. The employer also submitted that not including this clarification could result in employees being paid more than the 70-week cap contained in the WFA Policy.

25 The Arbitration Board awards the employer proposal with regard to the elimination of severance for voluntary departures, as set out in Schedule 2 in each of the Terms of Reference. In addition, the Arbitration Board awards the clarification language proposed by the employer. The intent in the WFA Policy is clear that the limit on compensation is 70 weeks. The clarification language proposed by the employer is consistent with this intent and takes into account severance payments received in the context of the severance payout.

26  The Arbitration Board has addressed the other related employer proposals in the relevant sections of this Award.

27 The RCEA proposed a change to the PG Group severance provision, to include acting pay in the calculation of weekly pay for the purposes of severance where the employee has been acting for more than 6 months. It noted that this provision was in the AD and AS collective agreements.

28 The Arbitration Board awards this proposal.

Information - Article 7.2 (AD, AS and PG)

29 The employer proposed for the AD, AS and PG agreement that employees be provided with electronic copies of the collective agreement instead of paper copies. The RCEA already agreed to this proposal for the CS Group. This proposal was accepted by the RCEA in the TO collective agreement. 

30 The Arbitration Board determines that the employer proposal shall be included in the collective agreements.

Part-time Employees - Article 9.2.1 (All Groups)

31 The employer proposed that on designated holidays, part-time employees be paid time and a half for all regularly scheduled hours of work and double time for any hours worked in excess of the regularly scheduled hours of work. The RCEA noted that this provision was not in the TO collective agreement. It also submitted that employees should be entitled to benefits in proportion to the hours that they actually work, not just the hours that they are scheduled to work.

32 The Arbitration Board declines to award the employer’s proposal.

Standards of Discipline – Article 16 (AD and AS)

33 The NRC proposed that the “sunset” provision in the collective agreement for discipline (the removal of disciplinary actions from an employee’s file after two years of no discipline) be changed. Currently, the two year period is automatically extended by the length of any period of leave without pay in excess of three months. The employer proposed that the clause include any period of leave without pay. The RCEA noted that this proposed language was not in any other NRC agreement.

34 The Arbitration Board declines to award this proposal.

Position Questionnaire/Job Description – Article 18 (AD Group)

35 The bargaining agent proposed replacing the term “position questionnaire” with “statement of duties” because the current term in the collective agreement is no longer used at the NRC and appears in no other RCEA collective agreement. The Employer submitted that there was no demonstrated need for the proposal.

36 The arbitration board notes that the intent of the parties is clear from the existing article and declines to award this proposal.

Time-off for Association Business – Article 22 (All Groups)

37 The employer proposed an additional clause to Article 22 to clarify that leave for collective bargaining was leave without pay. Currently, there is no provision in the collective agreement for leave for collective bargaining. The NRC stated that it directs managers to code time off for collective bargaining as leave without pay. It submitted that the purpose of the proposal was to “unequivocally clarify, for managers and employees alike” that time off for Association business was time-off without pay. The RCEA submitted that this provision was not included in the TO collective agreement. It further submitted that employees on the bargaining team use their own time to prepare for negotiations and are entitled to leave with pay under the joint consultation provision of the agreement.

38 The Arbitration Board declines to award the employer proposal.

Vacation Leave – General – Article 31.2 (All Groups)

39 The employer proposed new language to allow the employer to schedule an employee’s vacation if the employee has not scheduled vacation. The RCEA noted that this was not contained in the TO agreement. It also noted that although similar provisions existed in other core public service agreements, those provisions contained more protections for employees.

40 The Arbitration Board declines to award the employer’s proposal.

Vacation Leave – Carry-over Provisions – Article 31.4 (All Groups)

41 The NRC proposed that the carry-over provisions currently found in appendices to the collective agreement be moved into the body of the collective agreement. In the alternative, the NRC was willing to renew the existing appendices. The RCEA noted that the employer did not propose either the movement of the CS appendix into the collective agreement or its renewal. It proposed that the appendices be renewed.

42 The Arbitration Board declines to award the employer’s proposal. The Arbitration Board determines that the appendices for the AS, AD, PG and CS agreements shall be renewed.

Sick Leave Credits After Layoff or Termination – Article 33 (All groups)

43 The RCEA proposed amending article 33.1.3 so that employees can carry over sick leave credits as a result of any involuntary end of employment if rehired within one year. This provision would apply to term employees. The employer agreed to this proposal in principle as part of its proposal on severance pay. It proposed language that mirrors the language of recent agreements in the core public service:

Sick leave credits earned but unused by an employee during a previous period of employment in the public service shall be restored to an employee whose employment was terminated due to the end of a specified period of employment and who is reappointed within the National Research Council within one (1) year from the end of the specified period of employment.

44 The Arbitration Board awards this proposal using the proposed language of the employer.

45 The RCEA proposed that the employer be responsible for the payment of doctor’s notes required by the employer. The employer objected to this proposal on the basis that it did not exist in any other agreement at the NRC or in the core public service. The RCEA submitted that if the provisions contained in the TO collective agreement were ordered then it would abandon this proposal.

46 The Arbitration Board declines to award this proposal.

Bereavement Leave – Article 35.2 (All Groups)

47 The RCEA proposed changing the bereavement leave entitlement from five calendar days to five working days. In the alternative, it proposed bereavement leave of seven calendar days. As part of its severance proposal, the NRC agreed to an increase in the entitlement to seven calendar days.

48 The Arbitration Board awards an increase in bereavement leave entitlement to seven calendar days.

Family-Related Responsibility Leave – Article 35.17 (All Groups)

49 The RCEA proposed adding three types of paid leave for family-related responsibilities: for temporary childcare problems, to attend school functions, and to attend appointments for leave for financial advice (for a total of up to 7.5 hours of the existing 37.5 hours for leave under this Article). As part of its severance package the NRC agreed to this proposal.

50 The Arbitration Board awards this proposal.

Volunteer Leave – Article 35.18 (All Groups)

51  The bargaining agent proposed that employees be allowed to split personal and volunteer leave into increments less than one day. It submitted that it was not insisting upon this proposal if other provisions contained in the TO collective agreement were accepted.

52 The bargaining agent proposed eliminating the requirement that an employee account for their activities during volunteer or personal leave. The bargaining agent submitted that no one has ever been asked to justify personal leave.   

53 With regards to volunteer leave, the bargaining agent referred to the arbitral award for the TO Group:

[24] The Arbitration Board notes that there appears to be an inconsistently applied practice within the NRC of asking for details of volunteer activity. The practice within the core public service is not to require employees to identify the nature of their volunteer activity. The Arbitration Board agrees that paid volunteer leave should be used for volunteer activity, which is the intended purpose of the article. The Arbitration Board also agrees that the norm in the core public service of not requiring proof or justification for volunteer leave is appropriate.

[25] It is the view of the Arbitration Board that the resolution of this issue is best addressed outside of the collective agreement, in the way that it has been addressed in the core public service (through an employer policy document).

54 The bargaining agent noted that the NRC had refused the RCEA request to discuss the employer’s practice. The RCEA submitted that in light of this response, it is pursuing the proposal for these groups.  

55 The NRC submitted that there was no demonstrated need for the proposal. It submitted that in most cases validation is not insisted upon and whatever validation is provided is minimally intrusive. The NRC stated that the bargaining agent’s proposal would open the door to potential misuse of the leave entitlement.

56 The Arbitration Board declines to award the bargaining agent’s proposals. Splitting of the leave provisions is not consistent with the TO collective agreement or other public service collective agreements. There is not sufficient evidence of a problem with the existing article with regards to accounting for the use of personal or volunteer leave. The bargaining agent did not provide evidence that employees have been required to identify their volunteer activity. The Arbitration Board encourages the parties to have further discussions on the application of this article, as suggested by the Arbitration Board for the TO Group arbitration.

Hours of Work – Article 36 and Article 33.1.2 (AD)

57 The RCEA proposed eliminating the provisions in the AD Group collective agreement dealing with shift work. The RCEA submitted that there are currently no employees in the AD Group performing shift work. The provisions are therefore not necessary, it submitted.

58 The NRC submitted that there was no demonstrated need for the suggested change. It stated that there was a consistent need for staffing during hours outside of the core working hours. It also argued that the bargaining agent proposal would impose additional financial and administrative burdens for the employer.

59 The NRC proposed the elimination of 33.1.2 of the AD Group collective agreement dealing with sick leave credits for shift workers. It submitted that in light of the existing sick leave provision applicable to all workers as well as shift and weekend premiums, the article is unnecessary and could constitute pyramiding. The RCEA proposed the elimination of all shift work provisions for the AD Group. However, if its proposal was not accepted, it proposed that the provision be maintained.

60 The Arbitration Board declines to award either proposal.

Overtime – Article 39 (AD, AS and PG)

61 The NRC proposed that the collective agreement be changed to allow a period of one year to accrue and utilize compensation leave credits and six additional months during which an employee may use accrued compensation leave credits before the cash-out provisions take effect. It submitted that this proposal was the norm in federal public service collective agreements.

62 The RCEA accepted this proposal for the TO Group and submitted that it could agree with the proposal if the collective agreement contained the other provisions contained in the TO collective agreement.

63 The Arbitration Board awards this proposal.

64 The RCEA proposed a change to the provision for the payment of transportation expenses during paid overtime to include payment when the employee works overtime on a day of rest (articles 39.14 and 39.15) when normal public transportation services are not available. The RCEA noted that the TO Group collective agreement has such a provision, as do most collective agreements in the federal public service.

65 The NRC submitted that there was no demonstrated need for this change.

66 The Arbitration Board awards this proposal.

Call Back Pay – Article 40 (CS)

67 The RCEA proposed an amendment to the CS collective agreement to ensure that employees called back to work are reimbursed for all reasonable expenses (not solely transportation expenses). The RCEA submitted that it was prepared to abandon this proposal if its positions on other issues (in particular, on terminable allowances) were adopted.

68 The NRC submitted that there was no demonstrated need for this proposal and the proposal departs from the norm across the federal public service.

69 The Arbitration Board declines to award this proposal.

Duration – Article 60 (all Groups)

70 The employer proposed a duration of each collective agreement of three years (to April 30, 2014 for the AD, AS and PG Groups and to December 21, 2014 for the CS Group). The bargaining agent proposed a duration of four years for all collective agreements.

71 The bargaining agent submitted that the PSLRA requires a fourth year, because of the limitations set out in section 156:

156. (1) The arbitration board must determine the term of the arbitral award and set it out in the arbitral award.

(2) In determining the term of an arbitral award, the arbitration board must take the following into account:

(a) if a collective agreement applicable to the bargaining unit is in force or has been entered into but is not yet in force, the term of that collective agreement; or

(b) if no collective agreement applying to the bargaining unit has been entered into,

(i) the term of any previous collective agreement that applied to the bargaining unit, or

(ii) the term of any other collective agreement that it considers relevant.

(3) An arbitral award may not be for a term of less than one year or more than two years from the day on which it becomes binding on the parties, unless the arbitration board determines otherwise in any case where paragraph (2)(a) or (b) applies.

72 The bargaining agent referred the Arbitration Board to PIPSC v. National Energy Board, PSLRB file no. 585-26-21 (2008) where the arbitration board concluded that “an unexceptional case such as this, requires an arbitral award to be for a term of not less than 1 year from the day on which it becomes binding on the parties”.

73 The NRC submitted that an arbitration board has the discretion to order a duration of less than one year and that this discretion should be exercised. It submitted that the NRC was on the same bargaining cycle as the core federal public service and that this consistency should be maintained.

74 An arbitral award cannot be for a term of less than one year from the date on which it becomes binding, unless the arbitration board determines otherwise where paragraphs 2(a) or (b) apply. Paragraph 2(a) is not applicable here. The Arbitration Board must therefore take the following into account in determining whether a term of less than one year is appropriate:

(i) the term of any previous collective agreement that applied to the bargaining unit, or

(ii) the term of any other collective agreement that it considers relevant.

75 The general rule is that the term of the arbitral award must not be less than one-year from the date it is issued (the binding date). For the AD, AS and PG Groups, the arbitral award will be issued after the expiry date of a three-year agreement. The Arbitration Board is not convinced that there is an exceptional situation that would justify a term of less than one year. In addition, the Arbitration Board accepts that it makes little labour relations sense to have collective agreements that have already expired at the time of the issuance of the Award. The parties will be required to start collective bargaining immediately and will have no opportunity to see how the new collective agreement works. For this reason, the Arbitration Board determines that a four-year term for the AD, AS and PG Groups (expiry date of April 30, 2015) is appropriate.

76 A three-year duration for the CS Group collective agreement would result in an expiry date of December 21, 2014. In this case, the Arbitration Board has determined that an exception to the restriction of one-year from the date of the arbitral award is justified. Most collective agreements, including for comparable bargaining units, have been three-year agreements and will expire in 2014. In addition, there will be sufficient time for the collective agreement to be in force prior to its expiry.                

Rates of Pay (Appendix A)

Economic increases

77 Both the employer and the bargaining agent agreed that economic increases of 1.5% per year in 2011, 2012 and 2013 were appropriate.

78 The bargaining agent proposed that an appropriate increase for the fourth year of the collective agreements was 2%. The bargaining agent pointed to a number of federal public service agreements where employees received an increase of 2% in 2014. It also submitted that its proposal was in keeping with projected wage increases for employees across Canada.   

79 The employer submitted that it did not have a mandate for an increase in a fourth year. It also noted that the 2% increases provided for the two core public service bargaining units in 2014 was the third-year of their agreements, and included the severance payout top up of 0.5%.

80 As noted above, the employer proposed an additional 0.25% in 2011 and 0.5% in 2013 in exchange for its severance proposal. There are few comparators for salary increases for 2014 in the federal public service. In all cases, the increases for federal public service groups in 2014 are in the third year of a collective agreement and include the 0.5% top-up related to the removal of severance entitlements for voluntary departures. The only federal public service comparators would therefore justify an increase of 1.5% for 2014.     

81 The Arbitration Board determines that the annual increase in salaries for the AD, AS and PG Groups shall be 1.5% in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with an additional 0.25% effective May 1, 2011 and an additional 0.5% effective May, 2013. For the fourth year for the AD, AS and PG Groups, the Arbitration Board awards 1.5%.

• Effective May 1, 2011: 1.75%
• Effective May 1, 2012: 1.5%
• Effective May 1, 2013: 2.0%
• Effective May 1, 2014: 1.5%

82 The Arbitration Board determines that the annual increase in salaries for the CS Group shall be 1.5% in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with an additional 0.25% effective December 22, 2011 and an additional 0.5% effective December 22, 2013.

• Effective December 22, 2011: 1.75%
• Effective December 22, 2012: 1.5%
• Effective December 22, 2013: 2.0%

Terminable Allowance – Appendix A (CS)

83 The bargaining agent proposed the renewal of terminable allowances for the CS Group. The bargaining agent proposed, in the alternative, that the terminable allowances be rolled into existing salaries. The bargaining agent noted that similar terminable allowances for CS employees in the core public service were rolled in to salaries. The NRC opposed this proposal and stated that there were no recruitment or retention issues for this group of employees.

84 The Arbitration Board determines that Appendix A (Terminable Allowance) for the CS Group employees shall be renewed.

Hours of Work – Appendix B (CS)

85 The bargaining agent proposed the deletion of this appendix, as there are currently no employees covered by the Appendix. The NRC opposed the proposal and submitted that the appendix remained necessary.

86 The Arbitration Board declines to award the bargaining agent’s proposal.

Memorandum of Understanding on Salary Protection on Reclassification – New (All Groups)

87 The bargaining agent proposed the inclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding on Salary Protection in the collective agreement. The bargaining agent noted that there was a current classification review for the AS and AD Groups underway, making this a pressing issue. The Employer submitted that there was an existing Salary Protection Policy and there was no demonstrated need to include an MOU in the collective agreement.

88 The Arbitration Board notes that there are no demonstrated problems with the existing salary protection policy of the employer. However, the Arbitration Board notes that the current policy is subject to unilateral change and does not provide for recourse to adjudication if it is breached. Accordingly, the arbitration board has determined that the employer’s salary protection policy, as of the date of this Award, shall be included in the collective agreement as an Appendix.     

89 The Arbitration Board shall remain seized of this matter for a period of four weeks from the date of this award, in the event that the parties encounter any difficulties in its implementation.

Ian R. Mackenzie

(Original signed by)

For the Arbitration Board

June 3, 2014

Appendix A / Annexe A

AS GROUP

1.         ARTICLE 9: PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

9.2       General

9.2.1   Part-time employees shall be entitled to the benefits provided under this Agreement in the same proportion as their normal scheduled weekly hours of work compare with the normal scheduled weekly hours of work of full-time employees except that:

ARTICLE 9 : EMPLOYÉ À TEMPS PARTIEL

9.2 Généralités

9.2.1 Les employés à temps partiel auront droit aux avantages prévus dans la présente convention dans la même proportion qui existe entre leurs heures normales de travail par semaine prévues et les heures normales de travail par semaine prévues dans la présente convention des employés à plein temps, sauf que:

2.         ARTICLE 31: VACATION LEAVE

31.2    Granting of Vacation Leave

31.2.1 No change

31.2.2 Subject to 31.2.1 an employee may

31.2.2.1          during the first six (6) calendar months of employment, be grantedvacation leave up to the amount of earned credits;

31.2.2.2          after the first six (6) calendar months of employment be grantedvacation leave in excess of the earned credits but only to the extent of credits that would be accumulated by the end of the fiscal year concerned.

31.2.2 Sous réserve du paragraphe 31.2.1, un employé peut

31.2.2.1 au cours des six (6) premiers mois d'emploi, être autorisé à prendre les congés annuels acquis;

31.2.2.2 après les six (6) premiers mois d'emploi, se voir accorder les congés annuels en nombre supérieur aux crédits acquis, mais sans excéder le nombre de crédits de congé annuel qui aurait été acquis jusqua’à la fin de l'année financière en cause.

3.         Article 31 Vacation Leave

Insert new 31.9.3: Former Canadian Forces Service

For the purpose of clause 31.1 only, effective April 1, 2012 on a go forward basis, any former service in the Canadian Forces for a continuous period of six months or more, either as a member of the Regular Force or of the Reserve Force while on Class B or C service, shall be included in the calculation of vacation leave credits, once verifiable evidence of such service has been provided in a manner acceptable to the Council.

31.9.3

Service antérieure dans les Forces canadiennes

Aux fins du paragraphe 31.1 seulement, toute période de service antérieure d'au moins six mois consécutifs dans les Forces canadiennes, à titre de membre de la Force régulière ou de membre de la Force de réserve en service de classe B ou C, doit être prise en compte dans le calcul des crédits de congé annuel, et ce, à compter du 1^er avril 2012 et a l’avenir, et une fois qu'une preuve vérifiable de cette période de service a été fournie d'une manière jugée acceptable par le Conseil.

4.         31.10  Special Vacation Leave Entitlement

            31.10              No change

            31.10.1           Transitional Provision

Effective 14 May 2007, employees with more than two (2) years of service, as defined in clause 31., shall be credited a one-time entitlement of thirty-seven decimal five (37.5) hours of vacation leave with pay.

31.10.1 Dispositions transitoires

À compter du 14 mai 2007, les employés qui comptent plus de deux (2) années de service au sens du paragraphe 31.9 ont droit à un crédit unique de congé annuel payé de trente-sept virgule cinq (37,5) heures.

5.         33.3    Advance of Credits

33.3.1 When an employee has insufficient credits to cover the granting of sick leave with pay under the provisions of 33.2, sick leave with pay may,at the discretion of Council, be granted:

33.3.1 Lorsqu'un employé n'a pas acquis suffisamment de crédits de congé de maladie pour obtenir un congé de maladie payé, selon les dispositions du sous-article 33.2, l'employé peut, à la discrétion du Conseil, obtenir un congé de maladie payé

Appendix B / Annexe B

AD GROUP

1.         ARTICLE 9: PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

9.2       General

9.2.1   Part-time employees shall be entitled to the benefits provided under this Agreement in the same proportion as their normal scheduled weekly hours of work compare with the normal scheduled weekly hours of work of full-time employees except that:

ARTICLE 9 : EMPLOYÉ À TEMPS PARTIEL

9.2 Généralités

9.2.1 Les employés à temps partiel auront droit aux avantages prévus dans la présente convention dans la même proportion qui existe entre leurs heures normales de travail par semaine prévues et les heures normales de travail par semaine prévues dans la présente convention des employés à plein temps, sauf que:

2.         ARTICLE 31: VACATION LEAVE

31.2    Granting of Vacation Leave

31.2.1 No change

31.2.2 Subject to 31.2.1 an employee may

31.2.2.1          during the first six (6) calendar months of employment, be grantedvacation leave up to the amount of earned credits;

31.2.2.2          after the first six (6) calendar months of employment, be grantedvacation leave in excess of the earned credits but only to the extent of credits that would be accumulated by the end of the fiscal year concerned.

31.2.2 Sous réserve du paragraphe 31.2.1, un employé peut

31.2.2.1 au cours des six (6) premiers mois d'emploi, être autorisé à prendre les congés annuels acquis;

31.2.2.2 après les six (6) premiers mois d'emploi, se voir accorder les congés annuels en nombre supérieur aux crédits acquis, mais sans excéder le nombre de crédits de congé annuel qui aurait été acquis jusqu’à la fin de l'année financière en cause.

3.         Article 31 Vacation Leave

Insert new 31.9.3: Former Canadian Forces Service

For the purpose of clause 31.1 only, effective April 1, 2012 on a go forward basis, any former service in the Canadian Forces for a continuous period of six months or more, either as a member of the Regular Force or of the Reserve Force while on Class B or C service, shall be included in the calculation of vacation leave credits, once verifiable evidence of such service has been provided in a manner acceptable to the Council.

31.9.3

Service antérieure dans les Forces canadiennes

Aux fins du paragraphe 31.1 seulement, toute période de service antérieure d'au moins six mois consécutifs dans les Forces canadiennes, à titre de membre de la Force régulière ou de membre de la Force de réserve en service de classe B ou C, doit être prise en compte dans le calcul des crédits de congé annuel, et ce, à compter du 1^er avril 2012 et a l’avenir, et une fois qu'une preuve vérifiable de cette période de service a été fournie d'une manière jugée acceptable par le Conseil.

4.         31.10  Special Vacation Leave Entitlement

            31.10              No change

            31.10.1           Transitional Provision

Effective 14 May 2007, employees with more than two (2) years of service, as defined in clause 31., shall be credited a one-time entitlement of thirty-seven decimal five (37.5) hours of vacation leave with pay.

            31.10.1 Dispositions transitoires

À compter du 14 mai 2007, les employés qui comptent plus de deux (2) années de service au sens du paragraphe 31.9 ont droit à un crédit unique de congé annuel payé de trente-sept virgule cinq (37,5) heures.

5.         33.3    Advance of Credits

33.3.1 When an employee has insufficient credits to coverthe granting of sick leave with pay under the provisions of 33.2, sick leave with pay may,at the discretion of Council, be granted:

33.3.1 Lorsqu'un employé n'a pas acquis suffisamment de crédits de congé de maladie pour obtenir un congé de maladie payé, selon les dispositions du sous-article 33.2, il peut, à la discrétion du Conseil, obtenir un congé de maladie payé :

Appendix C / Annexe C

PG GROUP

1.         ARTICLE 9: PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

9.2       General

9.2.1   Part-time employees shall be entitled to the benefits provided under this Agreement in the same proportion as their normal scheduled weekly hours of work compare with the normal scheduled weekly hours of work of full-time employees except that:

ARTICLE 9 : EMPLOYÉ À TEMPS PARTIEL

9.2 Généralités

9.2.1 Les employés à temps partiel auront droit aux avantages prévus dans la présente convention dans la même proportion qui existe entre leurs heures normales de travail par semaine prévues et les heures normales de travail par semaine prévues dans la présente convention des employés à plein temps, sauf que:

2.         ARTICLE 31: VACATION LEAVE

31.2    Granting of Vacation Leave

31.2.1 No change

31.2.1.1          No change

31.2.1.2          after the first six (6) calendar months of employment be grantedvacation leave in excess of the earned credits but only to the extent of credits that would beaccumulated by the end of the fiscal year concerned…. (balance of para unchanged).

31.2.1.2 après les six (6) premiers mois d'emploi, se voir accorder à prendre les congés annuels en nombre supérieur aux crédits acquis, mais sans excéder le nombre de crédits de congé annuel qui aurait été acquis jusqu’à la fin de l'année financière en cause….

3.         Article 31 Vacation Leave

Insert new 31.9.3: Former Canadian Forces Service

For the purpose of clause 31.1 only, effective April 1, 2012 on a go forward basis, any former service in the Canadian Forces for a continuous period of six months or more, either as a member of the Regular Force or of the Reserve Force while on Class B or C service, shall be included in the calculation of vacation leave credits, once verifiable evidence of such service has been provided in a manner acceptable to the Council.

31.9.3

Service antérieure dans les Forces canadiennes

Aux fins du paragraphe 31.1 seulement, toute période de service antérieure d'au moins six mois consécutifs dans les Forces canadiennes, à titre de membre de la Force régulière ou de membre de la Force de réserve en service de classe B ou C, doit être prise en compte dans le calcul des crédits de congé annuel, et ce, à compter du 1^er avril 2012 et a l’avenir, et une fois qu'une preuve vérifiable de cette période de service a été fournie d'une manière jugée acceptable par le Conseil.

4.         31.10  Special Vacation Leave Entitlement

Transitional Provisions

NOTE – current para (c) will need to be renumbered to (b)

(b)       Effective May 1, 2009, employees with more than two (2) years of service, as defined in clause 31.9, shall be credited a one-time entitlement of thirty-seven decimal five (37.5) hours of vacation leave with pay.

1. Disposition transitoire
2. À compter du 1er mai 2009, les employés qui comptent plus de deux (2) années de service au sens du paragraphe 31.9 ont droit à un crédit unique de trente-sept virgule cinq (37,5) heures de congé annuel spécial payé.

5.         33.3    Advance of Credits

33.3.1 When an employee has insufficient credits to coverthegranting of sick leave with pay under the provisions of 33.2, sick leave with pay may,at the discretion of Council, be granted:

33.3.1 Lorsqu'un employé n'a pas acquis suffisamment de crédits de congé de maladie pour obtenir un congé de maladie payé, selon les dispositions de la clause 33.2, des crédits de congé maladie payé peuvent être avancés à l’employé, à la discrétion du Conseil, à raison:

Appendix D / Annexe D

CS GROUP

1.         ARTICLE 7: INFORMATION

7.2 The Council shall make available a copy of this Agreement and a copy of any supplementary agreement that amends or changes this Agreement to every employee who is a member of the bargaining unit as of the date of the signing of this Agreement, and in addition, each employee entering the bargaining unit shall be provided with a copy of this Agreement.  For the purpose of satisfying the Employer’s obligation under this clause, employees may be given electronic access to this Agreement.

ARTICLE 7 - RENSEIGNEMENTS

7.2 Le Conseil mettra une copie de cette convention et une copie de toute ententesupplémentaire apportant des changements à la présente convention, à la disposition de tous les employés membres de l'unité de négociation à la date de signature de la présente convention.  En plus, tout nouvel employé faisant partie de l'unité de négociation recevra une copie de la présente convention. Pour satisfaire à l’obligation qui incombe à l’Employeur en vertu de la présente clause, on peut donner aux employés le moyen d’avoir accès à la convention collective en mode électronique.

2.         ARTICLE 31: VACATION LEAVE

31.2    Granting of Vacation Leave

31.2.1 No change

31.2.2.1          No change.

31.2.2.2          after the first six (6) calendar months of employment be grantedvacation leave in excess of the earned credits but only to the extent of credits that would beaccumulated by the end of the fiscal year concerned.

31.2.2.2 après les six (6) premiers mois d'emploi, se voir accorder les congés annuels en nombre supérieur aux crédits acquis, mais sans excéder le nombre de crédits de congé annuel qui aurait été acquis jusqu’à la fin de l'année financière en cause.

3.         Article 31 Vacation Leave

Insert new 31.9.3: Former Canadian Forces Service

For the purpose of clause 31.1 only, effective April 1, 2012 on a go forward basis, any former service in the Canadian Forces for a continuous period of six months or more, either as a member of the Regular Force or of the Reserve Force while on Class B or C service, shall be included in the calculation of vacation leave credits, once verifiable evidence of such service has been provided in a manner acceptable to the Council.

31.9.3

Service antérieure dans les Forces canadiennes

Aux fins du paragraphe 31.1 seulement, toute période de service antérieure d'au moins six mois consécutifs dans les Forces canadiennes, à titre de membre de la Force régulière ou de membre de la Force de réserve en service de classe B ou C, doit être prise en compte dans le calcul des crédits de congé annuel, et ce, à compter du 1^er avril 2012 et a l’avenir, et une fois qu'une preuve vérifiable de cette période de service a été fournie d'une manière jugée acceptable par le Conseil.

4.         31.10  Special Vacation Leave Entitlement

            31.10 a.          No change

            Transitional Provisions

b. Effective April 1, 2009, employees with more than two (2) years of service, as defined in clause 31.9, shall be credited a one-time entitlement of thirty-seven decimal five (37.5) hours of vacation leave with pay.

NOTE – 31.10.c. will need to be renumbered to b.

b.         À compter du 1er avril 2009, les employés qui comptent plus de deux (2) années de service au sens du paragraphe 31.9 ont droit à un crédit unique de trente-sept virgule cinq (37,5) heures de congé annuel spécial payé.

5.         ARTICLE 39 - OVERTIME

Compensation in Cash or Leave With Pay

39.16 Overtime shall be compensated monetarily except where, upon the request of an employee and with the approval of the Council, overtime may be compensated in equivalent leave with pay.

39.16 Les heures supplémentaires donnent droit à une rémunération monétaire sauf dans le cas où, sur la demande de l’employé et avec approbation du Conseil, ces heures supplémentaires peuvent êtres compensées au moyen d’une période équivalente de congé payé.

39.17 The Council shall endeavour to pay overtime by the fourth (4th) week after which the employee submits the request for payment.

39.17 Le Conseil s’efforce de verser la rémunération des heures supplémentaires dans les quatre (4) semaines qui suivent la date à laquelle l’employé soumet une demande de paiement.

39.18  No change.

39.19 Earned compensatory leave credits that are not used by the end of September of each calendar year shall be liquidated by means of compensation by cheque on the basis of one (1) hour’s pay at straight-time rate for each hour of compensatory leave credits so liquidated, except that an employee, upon application, shall be permitted to carry over an amount of compensatory leave credits of seven (7.5) hours or more to a maximum of thirty-seven (37.5) hours.

39.19 Les crédits de congé compensateur acquis qui ne sont pas pris à la fin de septembre de chaque année, seront liquidés au moyen d’un chèque calculé sur la base d’une heure payée au taux simple pour chaque heure de congé compensateur acquis ainsi liquidé, sauf sur demande, un employé aura la permission de reporter des congés compensateurs acquis d’une durée allant de sept virgule cinq (7,5) heures à trente-sept virgule cinq (37,5) heures au plus.

Replace above language with that below.

39.19  Compensatory leave credits earned in a fiscal year and outstanding on September 30 of the following fiscal year, will be liquidated by means of payment to the employee on the basis of one (1) hour’s pay at straight-time rate for each hour of compensatory leave credit so liquidated at the rate of pay of the employee’s substantive position.

39.19  Les crédits de congé compensateur acquis au cours d’un exercice financier qui ne sont pas pris au 30 septembre de l’exercice suivant seront payés à l’employé sur la base d’une (1) heure payée au taux de base pour chaque heure de congé compensateur acquis ainsi liquidé au taux de rémunération du poste d’attache de l’employé.

39.20  No change.

6.         SICK LEAVE

33.3    Advance of Credits

33.3.1             When an employee has insufficient credits to coverthe granting of sick leave with pay under the provisions of 33.2, sick leave with pay may, at the discretion of Council, be granted:

33.3.1      Lorsqu'un employé n'a pas acquis suffisamment de crédits de congé de maladie pour obtenir un congé de maladie payé, selon les dispositions de la clause 33.2, l'employé peut, à la discrétion du Conseil, obtenir un congé de maladie payé

7.         APPENDIX C – Agreed to change dates and renew.

ARTICLE C: APPENDIX C - MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT - CARRY-OVER OF VACATION LEAVE CREDITS

Effective: 10/01/2009
Expiry: [Expiry Date of Award]

RE: VACATION LEAVE

Preamble

In an effort to reduce accumulated vacation leave credits, the parties agree that the following clauses will be implemented on a trial basis.

Application

1. Commencing on 1 October 2009and ending [Expiry Date of Award], the following clauses will be part of this collective agreement:

31.4.2 Notwithstanding paragraph 31.4.1, if on 1 October 2009 or on the date an employee becomes subject to this Agreement after 1 October 2009, an employee has more than two hundred sixty-two decimal five (262.5) hours of unused vacation leave credits, a minimum of seventy five (75) hours per year shall be granted or paid in cash by March 31st of each year, commencing on March 31, 2010 until all vacation leave credits in excess of two hundred sixty-two decimal five (262.5) hours have been liquidated. Payment shall be in one installment per year and shall be at the employee's daily rate of pay as calculated from the employee’s substantive position on March 31 of each year.

31.4.3 On a date agreed to by the parties following the expiry of this Memorandum of Agreement, the Council shall provide the Association with a detailed summary of annual leave usage, carry-over and drawdown statistics for the CS Group.

2. This Memorandum of Understanding expires on [Expiry Date of Award].

Signed at Ottawa on this [Date of Signing] day of the month of [Date of Signing].

ARTICLE C : APPENDICE C - LETTRE D'ACCORD - REPORT DES CRÉDITS DE CONGÉS ANNUELS

Date efficace : 10/01/2009
Date d'expiration : [Expiry Date of Award]

RE : CONGÉS ANNUELS

Préambule

Dans un effort de réduire les crédits de congé annuel accumulés, les parties s’entendent pour que les paragraphes suivants soient mis en application à titre d’essai.

Application

1. À compter du 1er octobre 2009 et jusqu’au [Expiry Date of Award], les articles suivants feront parti de cette convention collective :

31.4 Dispositions relatives au report des congés

31.4.2 Nonobstant le paragraphe 31.4.1, si au 1er octobre 2009 ou à la date où l'employé est assujetti à la présente convention après le 1er octobre 2009, l'employé a à son crédit plus de deux cent soixante-deux virgule cinq (262,5) heures de congé annuel non utilisés, un minimum de soixante-quinze (75) heures par année seront utilisées ou payées au plus tard le 31 mars de chaque année, débutant le 31 mars 2010, jusqu'à ce que tous les crédits de congé annuel qui dépassent deux cent soixante-deux virgule cinq (262,5) heures aient été épuisés. Le paiement se fait en un versement par année et est calculé au taux de rémunération de son poste d’attache au 31 mars de chaque année.

31.4.3 À une date convenue par les parties suivant l’échéance de ce protocole d’entente, le Conseil fournira à l’Association un sommaire détaillé des statistiques sur l’utilisation des congés annuels, le report et la réduction de ces congés pour le Groupe CS.

2. Ce protocole d’entente prend fin le [Expiry Date of Award].

Signé à Ottawa, Ontario, ce 1er jour du mois [Date of Signing].