CUPE Local 4000 and The Ottawa Hospital recently resorted to interest arbitration to completely resolve all issues related to a renewal collective agreement. This is a normal requirement under the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act, and necessary for this round of bargaining due to impending government legislation.
The Award for a renewed Collective Agreement was issued on May 24, 2019, applying the submissions of the parties and the statutory criteria the Arbitrator is required to consider under the Act, and well as the principles of replication (with Central), comparability, total compensation and demonstrated need.
The full award can be viewed at AWARD LINK. Additionally, the Local will be attempting to book auditorium space at each campus during the week of June 3-7 to respond to any questions members may have. The award will also be on the agenda at the upcoming membership meeting on June 11, 2019 (730 PM).
In summary, the award includes the following;
General wage increases as per the OCHU/OHA Central award
Effective September 29, 2017 1.4% General Wage Increase
Effective September 29, 2018 1.4% General Wage Increase
Effective September 29, 2019 1.6% General Wage Increase
Effective September 29, 2020 1.65% General Wage Increase
Retroactivity:
Retroactivity to be paid on all paid hours by separate deposit by not later than September 13, 2019. For any Employee whose employment has terminated in the period following September 28, 2017 and for whom the Hospital is unable to make direct deposit, the Hospital will notify the Employee of the entitlement to retroactivity by registered mail to the Employee’s address last known to the Hospital, and the Employee will have an additional sixty (60) days to claim payment from the Hospital.
While these wage increases are lower than what we would expect for our members, they are consistent with CUPE Hospital awards in the Province, and certainly better than what we could expect after rumoured wage restraint legislation is introduced.
Changes to (all consistent with OCHU/OHA Central award):
Probationary Period (9.01), Effect of Absence (9.04 d), Parental Leave (12.07)
Massage Coverage
Services of a Registered Massage Therapist will be covered up to a maximum of $375.00 annually using a co-pay model of 20% employee paid, 80% employer paid per visit with customary and reasonable caps as per the industry standard. No referral from a physician is required.
Extended Shifts
During bargaining, it was discovered over 30+ department schedules, affecting over 400 employees, existed that conflicted with the provisions of the collective agreement. The parties had to address those schedules, as well as implement a process to address introducing extended tours in the future.
Granting of Vacations
New effective dates for submitting vacation requests (twice per year), as well as a provision that employees are to submit vacation time as per the Ontario Employment Standards Act.
Retention Market Premiums
The Employer identified a number of positions within the Trades Classifications that they felt required a Market premium retention bonus. Some of these classifications had been receiving this market premium for a number of years.
The increases to the specific classifications were applied in accordance with the legislated criteria.