Ontario Public Service OPSEU L586 Highlights of the 2015 – 2017 Ontario Public Service Collective Agreement

Salary 2015: No general increase. Employees not at the top of their pay scale will progress through the grid. 2016: One-time lump sum payment. Equal to 1.4 per cent of earned base salary (less deductions). The calculation of the base salary will be based on wages earned for regular hours worked in 2015. This lump sum payment does not alter your base salary. Employees not at the top of their pay scale will not progress through the grid. 2017: 1.4% increase to base salary. Employees not at the top of their pay scale will not progress through the grid.

Termination Pay Termination pay is a one-time payment of one-week’s salary for every year you work (maximum 26) when you voluntarily leave the OPS. It is NOT the same as “severance” you will receive if you are are surplussed. That Article (is unchanged. In the 2008 round, the Employer capped termination pay for those employees who quit. (Effectively limiting it to retiring employees only) In the 2013 round, termination pay was lost completely for new hires. In this round, termination pay was capped as of December 31, 2016. No more accrual. If you were hired before 2013, you have not lost whatever termination pay you have accrued. Eg. If you have 7 years now, and work another 25 years, you will still get 7 weeks termination pay when you retire. If you have 26+ years by December 2016 you will get 26 weeks pay. However, your termination pay will be based on the rate of pay you were receiving on December 31, 2016.

Health Benefits Drug, dental, supplementary health benefits: No significant change. New diabetic supply coverage. Short Term Sickness Plan (STSP): No Change. First 6 days at 100%, next 118 days at 66.6% unless you submit a Pay Rate From Completed by your Doctor to increase it to 75%. Long Term Income Protection (LTIP): LTIP will automatically increase when general wages increase. When a member on LTIP is eligible to retire with an unreduced pension OR has 30 years in pension plan, they must retire OR begin to pay their own share of pension contributions. The insurance carrier may recommend mandatory rehabilitation to those who are no longer on “totally disabled” but have not fully recovered. If the employee does not participate or co-operate in this rehab program, their benefits will be terminated. New 30 day expedited appeal process.

Benefits for Contract Employees In 2013 we won the right from Contract Employees to buy-into the OPS plan for drug, dental, supplementary health benefits (at their own expense). Most members never knew about this change. Current fixed-term employees will have a new one-time opportunity of 31 days following the date of ratification of the collective agreement to enrol. All newly hired fixed-term employees will have 60 days from the date of hire to exercise a one-time option to enrol in benefits. The employer must notify new hires of this option. New 1 day unpaid bereavement leave for loss of Aunt, Uncle, Niece or Nephew. Does not count as a missed day for earning your 1.25 day/month sick credit.

Employee Right to Representation New Article 30 gives members the right to union representation when their supervisor or other Employer representative intends to meet with an employee for reasons such as: disciplinary purposes investigating matters that may result in disciplinary action formal counselling session related to performance or behaviour termination of employment matters relating to accommodation or return to work attendance management layoff/surplus any other provision in the collective agreement where the right to representation is referenced The Employer must notify the employee of their right to union representation. If no union representative is available at the time requested, the Employer is allowed to set a meeting within 24 hours, taking into consideration the union’s availability.

Odds and Ends Transition Exit Initiative (TEI): Extended for the term of the contract (until December 31, 2017). Still fully at the employer’s discretion. New Anti-Privatization Language: “Quality Public Services” requires the Government to consult with OPSEU about any sell-off plans impacting 150 members or more. Following a Competition: The employer will establish an eligibility list of qualified candidates for each position based on the results of a competitive process. The list will be shared with the local president when the employer reaches back for the first time. Members holding French Language Designated positions can now transfer laterally into unilingual positions, and members who are doing unilingual positions but are French language Certified (within last 2 years) can transfer into FLS spots. This is a HIGHLIGHTS ONLY. For more information please visit https://opseu.org/ops-bargaining-2014