MGEU health care members in the Interlake Eastern Regional
Health Authority are going to have a little more money in their pockets thanks
to six recent MGEU grievance wins.
Issue 1: MGEU Wins Paid Travel Time Grievance (Health Care Support Services)
In this case, the IERHA was not paying HCSS members the additional travel time incurred when working, attending a meeting, or attending training at a different work location. Through the grievance process, we were able to successfully argue that members deserved to be paid for the additional travel time worked beyond their regular commute.
This
win is retroactive to July 15, 2018. If IERHA HCSS members believe they should
have been paid for travel time at some point in the last year, submit a request
to your manager on an expense form right away, before the deadline of September 15, 2019. Contact the MGEU Resource
Centre with any questions.
Issue 2: MGEU Wins Flex Time Clarification Grievance (Professional-Technical-Paramedical)
In this case, some IERHA managers were forcing professional-technical-paramedical
members to use flex time in order to avoid paying overtime. Many members also
“banked” flex time although it was never formally recorded and subsequently
lost those hours when they transferred to another position or left their
employment.
Through
the grievance process, we were able to successfully argue that these members
deserved to use flex time when it would benefit them and not simply because it
saved the employer overtime costs. The flex time must be used within the same
pay period and cannot be banked. Any flex time not used up during that time
would be converted to overtime. The employer also agreed to this on a
go-forward basis.
Issue 3: MGEU Wins Vacation Cancellation Grievance (Health Care Support Services / Community Support / Professional-Technical-Paramedical)
In this case, the IERHA was not allowing members
to cancel approved vacation.
Through the grievance process, we were able to
successfully argue that members had the right to cancel their approved vacation
with the following conditions:
- the member has alternate vacation days picked;
- it doesn’t disrupt any other member’s vacation request;
- operational requirements are met.
The employer also agreed to this on a go-forward basis.
Issue 4: MGEU Wins Additional Hours While on Education Leave Grievance (Health Care Support Services / Community Support / Professional-Technical-Paramedical)
In this case, the IERHA was not allowing members to work additional hours such as evenings and weekends while on an education leave of absence.
Through
the grievance process, we were able to successfully argue that members had the
right to pick up available additional hours while on an education leave of
absence. This will be in effect on a go-forward basis.
Issue 5: MGEU Wins Working Alone Grievance (Health Care Support Services / Community Support / Professional-Technical-Paramedical)
In this case, the IERHA did not a have a check-in communication system in place for most members who are in a work alone situation as required by the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
Through
the grievance process, we were able to successfully argue that the employer is
required to implement such systems. They are now in the process of implementing
check-in communication systems in different programs throughout the health
authority.
Issue 6: MGEU Wins Leave Request Grievance (Health Care Support Services)
In this case, the IERHA would not canvass HCSS
members’ leave requests beyond the annual vacation staff cap even though there
could have been other staff willing to pick up the relief shift. Some managers
also did not go to overtime to cover vacation and stat banked time.
Through the grievance process, we were able to successfully argue that the
employer is required to canvass all leave requests to see if there is available
staff to work the shift and that they could not use economic reasons to deny
the leave other than for banked overtime.
This win will be implemented on a go-forward
basis, so please resubmit any leave requests that were denied without being
canvassed, as the manager will now have to canvass the shift.
If members in IERHA have any further questions about any of these issues, or about the upcoming
representation votes, please contact the MGEU Resource Centre at
1-866-982-MGEU(6438) or resourcecentre@mgeu.ca.