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.