Details of agreements between unions and Sodexo Canada, New Flyer Industries
The following labour agreements were compiled by CLV Reports, a sister publication to Canadian HR Reporter that looks at trends in collective bargaining and labour relations. For more information, visit www.hrreporter.com/clv.
Sodexo Canada
Provincewide in British Columbia (Hospital Employees’ Union — 1,500 dietary, cleaning and support staff at 34 hospitals and four long-term care and assisted-living facilities.)
Renewal agreement: Effective Oct. 1, 2008, to expire Sept. 30, 2012. Ratified on May 25 with 81 per cent in favour at Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, 58 per cent at Fraser Health Authority, 94 per cent at Central Care, 100 per cent at Shannon Oaks, 100 per cent at Foyer Maillard and 88 per cent at German Canadian Care Homes.
Wage adjustments:
Jan.1, 2009 – 30 cents.
April 1, 2009 – 35 cents.
Oct. 1, 2009 – 40 cents.
Oct. 1, 2010 – 40 cents.
Oct. 1, 2011 – 50 cents.
Paid holidays: Nine, unchanged.
Vacations with pay: Three weeks after five years, four after 10, five after 15, unchanged.
Shift premium: Zero cents-$1, previously, zero cents-70 cents. Call-in is two hours at the applicable rate plus 31 cents per kilometre with a minimum of $10.
Sick leave: Annual allowance of six days of non-cumulative sick leave, unchanged, becoming seven days effective Sept. 1, 2010, and eight days effective Sept. 1, 2011.
Benefits: Plan is cost-shared 50 per cent-50 per cent, becoming 70 per cent-30 per cent, effective Oct. 1, 2009. Plan includes extended health care, and dental, life insurance and AD&D. Benefits, excluding life insurance and AD&D, are extended to age 70 (new).
Rates of pay (current, after second increase): dietary aide/housekeeping – $13.70; lead hand – $14.90; cook II/stores/receiver – $16.76; cook I – $18.57.
Editor’s notes: Probationary rates: Probationary employees are paid $1, previously $1.25, less than the job rate, but with a minimum of $12.05, previously $11.80, for the first 520 hours or six months, whichever is sooner. Cleaning allowance: 65 cents per shift where employees must launder their own uniforms, unchanged. Safety clothing and equipment: The company provides all necessary tools, protective clothing and safety equipment including gloves, masks and safety glasses, unchanged. The company will ensure adequate supplies are provided to complete assigned work (new). Casual benefits: Casuals who work a minimum of 20 hours per week for 12 consecutive weeks, previously six months, will be converted to regular float status upon request (new) and be eligible to enrol for health and welfare benefits; previously, such employees were eligible to enrol in the health and welfare program after three months. Casuals who are off work due to illness or injury will continue to collect seniority, based on their hours of work over the previous six months. Transfers between work sites: Workers may now apply to transfer seniority to Sodexo positions at any other HEU Sodexo work site (new). Bereavement: Three days for the death of a parent, step-parent, spouse, child, stepchild, sibling, grandparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law or other relative who resides with the employee, unchanged. Transit discount: Employees who use Translink are eligible for discounts ranging from $9 per month for commuting in one zone to $18 per month for three zones, unchanged. Harassment: Harassment language includes specific protections against bullying (new). Miscellaneous: Job postings have to specify the work site and work area. Members’ work areas can only be reassigned when there is an operational requirement to do so and only when they have been trained to perform that work. Reassignments must be based on seniority, not on the discretion of supervisors or managers. The employer is accountable for issues related to workload, training and supplies shortages. Other bargaining: HEU also presented similar tentative agreements to its members employed by Compass and Aramark. A slim majority of the Compass employees at the Provincial Health Services Authority ratified (58 per cent); however, Compass employees at the Vancouver Island Health Authority turned down the tentative agreement by 73 per cent. The Aramark employees at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority rejected the tentative agreement by 51 per cent.
New Flyer Industries
Winnipeg (Canadian Auto Workers, Local 3003 — 852 employees manufacturing urban transit buses.)
Renewal agreement: Effective April 1, 2009, to expire March 31, 2012. Ratified on March 28, 2009, with 82 per cent of production and 86 per cent of skilled trades voting in favour.
Wage adjustments:
April 1, 2009 – three per cent, plus 50 cents to skilled trades.
April 1, 2010 – 3.5 per cent, plus 40 cents to skilled trades.
April 1, 2011 – 3.5 per cent, plus 40 cents to skilled trades.
Paid holidays: 13, including the employee’s birthday, previously 12, with the addition of Louis Riel Day. Employees may substitute another day for their birthday with 14 days’ notice.
Vacations with pay: Three weeks after three years, four after 10, five after 15, previously 18, six after 30, previously 33.
Shift premium: Zero cents-70 cents-70 cents, previously zero cents-65 cents-60 cents, becoming zero cents-80 cents-70 cents in the second year and zero cents-90 cents-80 cents in the third, plus the midnight shift works seven hours and is paid for eight. Lead hand premium is $1.25, previously $1, becoming $1.50 in the second year, per hour. First aid premium is 35 cents, previously 20 cents.
Overtime: Time and one-half for the first three hours over eight hours in one day, the first eight over 40 in one week and for the first four hours on the first day of rest. Double time thereafter.
Medical benefits: Semi-private hospital and out-of-country coverage has no co-insurance. Extended health-care plan provides benefits subject to 80 per cent-20 per cent co-insurance, company paid. Prescription drug card with a $10 dispensing fee cap, previously $8. Vision care to $250, previously $190, every 24 months. Allowance to $100 every 24 months for eye examinations. Annual paramedical maximums are $400 for audiologist, $150 for athletic therapy, $400 for nutritional counseling, $450 for naturopath, $450 for physiotherapy, $450 for chiropractor and $450 for massage therapy. $350 for orthotics and wigs to $1,250.
Dental: Company-paid plan provides full reimbursement for preventive and basic care, and 70 per cent reimbursement for major restorative care, subject to an annual maximum of $1,500, previously $1,250. Plan provides 50-per-cent reimbursement of orthodontic care, subject to a lifetime maximum of $1,750, previously $1,500, to age 19.
Sick leave: Annual allowance of three sick days at 66 2⁄3 per cent of regular wages.
Weekly indemnity: Company-paid 1-1-4-26 plan provides 66 2⁄3 per cent of regular earnings.
LTD: Company-paid coverage of 60 per cent of regular earnings until recovery, death or retirement age.
Life insurance: Company-paid coverage of $60,000, previously $50,000. Retiree life insurance coverage of $2,500, previously $1,000, is company paid. Optional, employee-paid coverage in blocks of $10,000 to a maximum of $500,000 for the employee and spouse and $5,000 to $50,000 for dependent children.
AD&D: Company-paid coverage of $60,000, previously $50,000.
Pension: Non-contributory plan provides basic pension of $34, previously $33, per month per year of service after Jan. 1, 1984, becoming $36 in the second year and $40 in the third and $20 for prior service. Early retirement bridge benefit of $1,300 per month, or the equivalent of CPP and OAS, from age 63 until age 65. No actuarial reduction for those retiring at age 62 and older. All time on WCB and two years on LTD qualify as pensionable.
Social justice fund: Company contributes once cent per hour per employee for all compensated hours, unchanged.
Paid education leave: Company contributes three cents, previously two cents, for each compensated hour.
Safety shoes: Annual allowance of $115, previously $105, becoming $125 in the second year and $135 in the third. Prescription safety glasses are reimbursed $200 every 12 months. The company reimburses the purchase of coveralls to $125 per year from an approved supplier.
Meal allowance: $10, previously $8, after two hours of overtime.
Rates of pay (current, after first increase): material handler forklift – $19.38; asst. production worker/asst. machine operator – $19.82; production welder/machine operator/abrasive blaster/fibreglass repair – $21.61; machine operator A – $22.59; machine operator setter – $23.01; machinist/tool and die maker/industrial electrician/industrial mechanic – $26.86; average – $21.21.
Editor’s notes: Attendance recognition bonus: No time lost in 12-month period – $750, previously $650; one to three days lost – $600, previously $450; four to five days lost – nil. Bereavement: Leave for death of an employee’s spouse or child is six days, previously five. Leave for any other member of the immediate family, including parent, step-parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, ward, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law is three days. Attendance at the funeral is required for a death in Canada, not for a death of a spouse, parent, child or sibling in another country. One day taken to attend a funeral will not affect the attendance bonus. New hires: New employees are paid 30 cents less than the job rate to start, increasing by 10 cents per month until the job rate is reached. Recall: The length of recall rights is 48 months, previously 30 months. Postings: Employees who post to new jobs may voluntarily return to their previous jobs within 45 days, previously 30 days. EAP: The maximum number of visits is increased to eight. Summer students: Students are paid at 85 per cent of the job rate and do not accumulate seniority. A proportionate number of family members of bargaining unit employees and non-bargaining unit employees will be hired. All employees on layoff must be recalled before summer students are hired. Seniority and recall: Skilled trades will have a separate seniority list based on their date of entry into the trade. Employees off work due to illness or injury will continue to accrue seniority. Senior employees on layoff do not have to accept a recall to an entry-level position unless that was their last position held. Employees intending to bump to a position may take a test to ensure they are “capable of performing the job” if they have basic knowledge of the job, whether obtained at the company or elsewhere. Discipline: “Intolerable offences” will result in 75 demerits instead of termination if the offence is damage to property or time theft and the amount involved is less than $300. Swiping another employee’s time card and “serious or credible threats of bodily harm to fellow employees or supervisors” are included in intolerable offences. After one month without demerits, employees will lose five demerits from their record. Employees accumulate 10 merit points for every five months without demerits to a maximum of 50. “Minor offence” of 20 demerits for being absent twice in eight weeks. Termination takes place with 100 demerits.
