significant improvements for the critical care premium

APTS members have a new collective agreement that was
signed on June 22, 2016.
It took months of intensive work, discussions, proposals and
political wangling to improve your working conditions and
counter the many concessions demanded by the employer
side, and the APTS is proud to give you this overview of the
gains made at the bargaining table.
Given the government’s austerity agenda and its obstinate
push for a zero deficit, we had to fight tooth and nail to make
gains on the monetary front. Determined to win proper recognition of the value of your work, the APTS bargaining team
held its ground and made appreciable advances on your
behalf. There’s no question that the historic level of members’
mobilization marked these negotiations. You most definitely made the difference by brandishing your placards and
taking time to show your indignation at management’s –
the government’s – sometimes dismissive attitude.
Thank you for the role you played!
This was truly a team effort!
OUR GAINS
IN A NUTSHELL…
−
5.25% salary increases, to which are added lump-sum
payments averaging 1.5% and an average increase of 2.4%
associated with the comprehensive salary relativity settle-
ment
−
introduction of a new self-financing leave to help balance
family-work-study responsibilities for a duration of one to
eight weeks, to care for a loved one or do a training
placement in a facility in the health and social services
system
− significant improvement of the critical care premium by
expanding the range of eligible job titles and adding new
activity centres
−
inclusion of the retention premium for psychologists in the
collective agreement, along with monetary measures for
personnel working with clients presenting severe behaviour
disorders and technical personnel working in CHSLDs,
retroactive to April 1, 2015
− a comprehensive review of the job security system that will
help us contend with the impact of creating integrated centres
(CISSS/CIUSSS)
− introduction of measures favouring joint management of
organization-of-work projects in the aim of ensuring respect
for professional practice and professional autonomy
− introduction of a target for increasing the number of hours/
position to promote greater workforce stability
− introduction of measures favouring further development of
professional practice
− introduction of measures facilitating family-work-study
balance
− introduction of measures to help analyse situations that could
be detrimental to employees’ psychological and physical
well-being. PRIMARY GAINS
3
SALARY: SALARY PARAMETERS,
LUMP-SUM AMOUNTS AND
SALARY RELATIVITY
SALARY INCREASES
April 1, 2015: Lump-sum amount corresponding to 30¢/hour
April 1, 2016:1.5%
April 1, 2017:1.75%
April 1, 2018:2%
April 1, 2019: Lump-sum amount corresponding to16¢/hour
ADJUSTMENTS ENSUING FROM SALARY RELATIVITY
April 2, 2019: Percentage of salary increase that varies according to job
title (2.4% on average).
The APTS created a tool for calculating the pay adjustment percentage
to which you’ll be entitled on that date. It is available on our web site
(in French, with an explanatory guide in English).
https://www.aptsq.com/fr/relativites-salariales-2019.aspx
The increases slated for 2016, 2017 and 2018 are applicable to salary rates
and scales and to premiums (except premiums expressed as a percentage).
ADJUSTMENT OF SALARY SCALES
After signing the collective agreement, the employers have up to
forty-five (45) days to adjust the salary scales following the salary
increase on April 1, 2016.
These adjustments will consequently be made by August 5, 2016.
4
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
LUMP-SUM PAYMENT
The lump-sum amount for 2015 is calculated on an hourly basis. It will be
paid based on the number of remunerated hours between April 1 and March
31, 2016. Employees who were hired or who left during the year will be entitled to their share of the lump-sum amount, as will part-time employees and
employees who don’t hold a position.
“Remunerated hours” also include the hours for which an employee receives
benefits associated with maternity, paternity or adoption leave; allowances
or benefits for parental leave; and disability insurance benefits (sometimes
referred to as salary insurance benefits), including compensation paid by the
CNESST (Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité
du travail, the SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec), and
the employer, in cases involving work accidents.
The lump-sum payment for the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016
will be made within ninety (90) days of the collective agreement being signed,
and this payment must be accompanied by a detailed statement.
The lump-sum amount for the 2019-2020 period will also be calculated on
an hourly basis, but the terms and conditions of payment have not yet been
decided.
THOSE WHO ARE NO LONGER EMPLOYED
The employer must send the union a list of employees who have left their
job since April 1, 2015, within three (3) months of the date the collective
agreement comes into force.
Employees whose employment ended between April 1, 2015 and the date
of the retroactivity payment must request payment of the salary owing,
within four (4) months of the date the union receives the list.
PRIMARY GAINS
5
RETROACTIVE APPLICATION
Aside from the lump-sum amount for the period from April 1, 2015 to March
31, 2016 and a few special provisions that will also be retroactive to April 1,
2015, the vast majority of these collective agreement provisions take effect
on April 1, 2016 and are retroactive to that date, such as:
− salary rates and scales, including:
- the job security allowance, disability insurance benefits (sometimes
referred to as salary insurance benefits), sick days payable on
December 15 every year, and the allowances provided under
parental rights
− overtime
− the team leader premium
− the evening- and night-shift premiums set out in clauses 37.01 and
37.02
− the weekend premium
− the professional co-ordination premium
− the on-call premium set out in clause 20.01
− the critical care premium and enhanced critical care premium
− the shift rotation premium
− the attraction/retention premium for biomedical engineering techni cians, biomedical engineering technical co-ordinators and industrial
hygiene technicians.
Payment of the amounts owing must be made no later than ninety
(90) days after the signing of the collective agreement, and must be
accompanied by a detailed statement.
The lump-sum payment and retroactive payment of amounts due on
April 1, 2016 will be made no later than September 19, 2016.
6
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
CHANGES TO THE PENSION PLAN
ACTUARIAL REDUCTION
On July 1, 2020, the pension reduction will go up from 4% to 6%.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
On July 1, 2019, eligibility requirements for a pension without any reduction
will change in the following way:
− the retirement age will go up from age 60 to 61
− a new eligibility criterion will be added – age 60 with 30 years of service
− the criteria of age 55 with 35 years of service will continue to apply.
UNCAPPING YEARS OF SERVICE
A maximum of 40 years’ service is now recognized for the purpose of calculating pension annuities. Employees who keep working will now be able to
boost their pension to a maximum of 80%.
This maximum number of years of service is gradually increased to 40 years
on December 31, 2018. That means that no retroactive recognition of years
of service applies.
AT YOUR SERVICE
If you have any questions about the new pension rules, feel free to contact
your APTS social security co-ordinators:
Longueuil office
Tel.: 450 670-2411 or 1 866 521-2411
Québec City office
Tel.: 418 622-2541 or 1 800 463-4617
PRIMARY GAINS
7
PARENTAL RIGHTS
ADJUSTMENT OF THE ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCE PAID
DURING MATERNITY LEAVE
For a number of years now, employees who take maternity leave are
entitled to 93% of their basic salary (adding together the benefits under
the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) and the additional allowance
from the employer). This percentage was defined to take into account the
contributions waiver exempting employees on maternity leave from paying
contributions (to the pension plan, QPIP or employment insurance), and to
ensure that those employees would continue to earn the same net income
as before they went on maternity leave. The amount represented by these
contributions waivers has often fluctuated over the years, but the standard
percentage has remained at 93%. For that reason, the government asked
the Common Front to update the standard percentage in accordance with
the contributions waivers already in force.
Here’s the new formula for calculating the additional allowance for maternity
leave:
100% of the first $225 in gross weekly earnings + 88% of the amount
of gross weekly earnings exceeding $225 – the amount of the QPIP
benefits.
This new combination amounts to an average of 91% and makes it possible
to cover 100% of the net salary.
PERIOD OF SERVICE OF 20 WEEKS –
5 WEEKS OF PATERNITY OR ADOPTION LEAVE
A mandatory period of 20 weeks of service is introduced as an eligibility
requirement for the allowance paid by the employer during the 5-week
paternity or adoption leave, as is already the case for maternity leave.
8
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
IMPROVEMENTS IN PROVISIONS
ON REGIONAL DISPARITIES
PROVISION FOR EMPLOYEES WORKING
IN THE LOCALITY OF FERMONT
A change in the way «dependent» is defined enables an employee’s child
aged 25 or less to be considered a dependent in the locality of Fermont.
SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS
FOR THE CRITICAL CARE PREMIUM
A NUMBER OF JOB TITLES ARE ADDED TO
CLAUSE 37.10 OF THE NATIONAL PROVISIONS
OF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT:
− Assistant chief radiology technologist
− Audiologist
− Audiologist / speech-language pathologist
− Graduate medical laboratory technician
− Hemodynamics technologist
− Medical electro-physiology technician
− Medical technologist
− Nuclear medicine technologist
− Radio-diagnostic technologist
− Social work technician
− Specialized radiology technologist
− Speech-language pathologist
− Technical co-ordinator (laboratory)
− Technical co-ordinator (radiology)
PRIMARY GAINS
9
ACTIVITY CENTRES ADDED
We introduced a specific critical care premium for certain activity centres,
along with the following percentages:
10
ACTIVITY CENTRE
CRITICAL CARE
PREMIUM
ENHANCED CRITICAL
CARE PREMIUM
Operating facilities (including the recovery room)
6%
7%
Obstetrics unit (operating
facilities set up to perform
Caesarians in a high-risk
pregnancy unit)
6%
7%
Hemodynamics
6%
7%
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
ATTRACTION AND
RETENTION MEASURES
PSYCHOLOGISTS
The premium to attract and retain psychologists is now included in the
collective agreement.
CLIENTS WITH SEVERE BEHAVIOUR DISORDERS
The measure to attract and retain employees working with clients who have
severe behaviour disorders has been renewed.
CHSLDs
The measure to attract and retain technical personnel working in CHSLDs
is now included in the collective agreement.
These three premiums will be paid retroactively to April 1, 2015.
LIMITS IMPOSED ON MOBILITY,
AND BETTER JOB SECURITY
SPECIAL MEASURES
When there is a transfer of activities involving movements of personnel,
employees cannot be transferred further than 70 kilometres from their home
base or residence.
If the transfer is further than 50 kilometres from an employee’s home base or
residence, the employee is entitled to the mobility premium of three months’
salary and moving expenses, if applicable.
PRIMARY GAINS
11
BUMPING
Bumping is restricted to a 50-kilometre radius from an employee’s home
base or residence. If it is not possible to reassign the employee targeted by
the bumping measure, the applicable radius then becomes 70 kilometres.
JOB SECURITY
The following rules apply in reassigning an employee:
−
−
−
up to 12 months: reassignment in the institution within a 50-kilometre
radius of the employee’s home base or residence, or in another institution within the same radius
after 12 months: reassignment within a 70-kilometre radius of the
employee’s home base or residence to a position in the institution, or to
a position in another institution within the same radius
an employee with job security may ask to be reassigned in her or his
institution to a non-comparable position for which she/he meets the
normal requirements of the job.
An employee with job security who is reassigned outside the 50-kilometre
radius (after 12 months) is entitled to the mobility premium of three months’
salary and moving expenses, if applicable.
Similarly, an employee with job security who voluntarily accepts a reassignment outside the 70-kilometre radius is entitled to the mobility premium and
moving expenses, if applicable.
12
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
In the coming weeks, local teams will be busy locally negotiating the terms
of use of an amount equal to 0.25% of the payroll, which is specifically
earmarked for the development of professional practice among technicians
and professionals in health care and social services.
We plan to set up strict terms of reference to ensure that this fund is used
by and for our technicians and professionals.
ON-GOING MONITORING
OF ORGANIZATION-OF-WORK
PROJECTS
We succeeded in having monitoring measures applied when organizationof-work projects are carried out. A joint committee on the organization
of work will be created and will decide which projects to tackle. It will be
mandated to stay informed of organization-of-work projects (with access to
all the relevant information), share the committee members’ concerns about
these projects, and study the solutions envisaged.
PRIMARY GAINS
13
MEASURES TO FACILITATE
FAMILY-WORK-STUDY BALANCE
FAMILY-WORK-STUDY BALANCE LEAVE
WITH SALARY AVERAGING
This brand new plan for a self-financing leave of absence of one to eight
weeks’ duration will enable an employee whose presence is required with
a family member, to receive an income during her or his absence, and to
spread her or his salary over a period of 6 or 12 months.
The terms and conditions for this leave are largely based on leave with
deferred pay. Here is the percentage of salary that the employee will receive,
depending on the duration of the leave:
LENGTH OF LEAVE
14
LENGTH OF LEAVE WITH SALARY AVERAGING
6 months
12 months
1 week
96.2%
98.1%
2 weeks
92.3%
96.2%
3 weeks
88.5%
94.2%
4 weeks
84.7%
92.3%
5 weeks
80.8%
90.4%
6 weeks
77.0%
88.5%
7 weeks
73.2%
86.6%
8 weeks
69.3%
84.7%
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
MEASURES TO FACILITATE
FAMILY-WORK-STUDY BALANCE
As well as family-work-study leave with salary averaging, a joint inter-union
committee on family-work-study balance can now be set up to identify
employees’ needs and propose measures to be put forward.
LEAVE FOR THE DEATH OF A SPOUSE’S CHILD
One day of leave without pay will now be included in the collective
agreement for the death of a spouse’s child.
PRIMARY GAINS
15
NEW PROVISIONS
IN MEDICAL ARBITRATION
NARROWER MANDATES
The mandates for medical arbitrators will be narrower. In accordance with the
rules of professional and ethical conduct, the medical arbitrator has to weigh
the attending physician’s opinion and that of the physician designated by the
employer and come to a decision solely on the following matters: the nonexistence of a disability; the date the disability ceases to exist; the ability to
undertake a period of rehabilitation or an extended period of rehabilitation,
and the ability to perform a temporary assignment or an extended temporary
assignment.
CONTESTING CESSATION OF A PERIOD OF DISABILITY
Employers can now contest the cessation of a period of disability, under the
procedure for settling disability-related disputes. This will speed things up
considerably.
16
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
AREAS OF WORK
FOR THE COMING YEARS
Signing this collective agreement doesn’t mean that the work is over.
In the coming months, the provincial parties will be working hard to advance
our professionals’ working conditions. A number of management-union
committees will be starting up, focusing on matters such as:
−
−
−
−
−
prevention work to protect employees’ health, safety and psychological
and physical well-being
reviewing the List of job titles
job stability and increasing the number of hours/positions
renewing the premium to attract and retain psychologists and lawyers
job evaluation for the gender-neutral job classes of community organizer
and lawyer.
The new 2016-2020 collective agreement is being prepared as quickly as
possible and should be ready for distribution to members in the early fall.
It’s important to get your copy so you can see first-hand all the changes that
have been introduced. Service to members is the driving force. The APTS
is sparing no effort to ensure that its 32,000 indispensable members of
Class 4 personnel can take full advantage of the benefits provided by the new
collective agreement. Feel free to contact your local team, who will be
pleased to answer your questions.
PRIMARY GAINS
17
BARGAINING
CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Denis Bradet, lawyer, Martine Robert, 1st APTS Vice-president, Noëlaine Allard, National bargaining co-ordinator,
Carolle Dubé, APTS President, and Étienne Morin, Labour relations co-ordinator.
TEAM OF MEMBERS
WHO TOOK TIME OFF TO HELP WITH THE NEGOTIATIONS
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Valérie Lepage, Lanaudière, Yvan Cloutier, Estrie, Marie-Carmel Gédéon, Montréal, Teresa Muccari, Montréal
and Maryse Guérette, Bas-St-Laurent.
18
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
FOR INDISPENSABLE
PERSONNEL
Since Gaétan Barrette took office as minister of health and
social services, the public system has been overhauled in
a quick succession of restructuring moves that make the
situation difficult and at times painful for our members. That’s
why we fought so passionately to wrest substantial gains
from the employer side. This collective agreement will give
everyone a chance to breathe and will set stricter limits to
rein in the employer’s expectations. We’re very proud of it.
We’d like to thank the bargaining co-ordinating committee,
the team of members who took time off from their regular
duties to help with the negotiations, and the local executives
for their involvement, participation, energy and resilience.
Without your help, we wouldn’t have made such gains or
signed a new collective agreement that we’re proud of.
And hats off to our members and co-workers, for all your
courage and tenacity!
There’s one last step to go: local negotiations, which are of
paramount importance to all 32,000 indispensable technicians and professionals at the APTS. On that front, too, your
APTS team can be counted on to defend and promote your
interests.
We’ll do everything in our power to ensure that this
collective agreement is properly applied and enforced, while
we continue to fight cutbacks in the public system and the
erosion of services for the population. Your unprecedented
level of mobilization in the last round of negotiations was
greatly appreciated, and we are counting on your support in
the upcoming campaigns.
The APTS is the union that stands for indispensable
Class 4 personnel!
PRIMARY GAINS
19
HEAD OFFICE:
1111, rue Saint-Charles Ouest, bureau 1050,
Longueuil (Québec) J4K 5G4
Tel.: 450 670-2411 or 1 866 521-2411
Fax: 450 679-0107 or 1 866 480-0086
QUÉBEC CITY OFFICE:
1305, boul. Lebourgneuf, bureau 200,
Québec (Québec) G2K 2E4
Tel.: 418 622-2541 or 1 800 463-4617
Fax: 418 622-0274 or 1 866 704-0274
www.aptsq.com
[email protected]