Associated Ambulance & Services (Whitecourt) Ltd., Collective Agreement 2020-2025

Article 20: Leaves of Absence

1. General Policies Covering Leaves of Absence
   1. An application for leave of absence shall be made, in writing, to the Employer as early as possible.  The application shall indicate the desired dates for departure and return from the leave of absence.  The Employer will notify Employees within ten (10) business days from receipt of their application, as to the status of their request. Where approval is denied for any Leave of Absence, the Employer will respond in writing and reasons shall be given.
   2. An Employee who has been granted leave of absence of any kind and who overstays such leave without permission of the Employer shall be deemed to have terminated their employment unless a justifiable reason can be established by the Employee.
   3. Except as provided in Article 20.01(d), where an Employee is granted a leave of absence of more than a month’s duration, and that Employee is covered by any or all of the plans specified in Article 19, that Employee may, subject to the Insurer’s requirements, make prior arrangement for the prepayment of both the Employer and Employee premiums for the applicable plans at least one (1) pay period in advance.  The time limits as provided for in this Article may be waived in extenuating circumstances.
   4. For the portion of Maternity Leave during which an Employee has a valid health-related reason for being absent from work and who is in receipt of sick leave, STD or LTD, benefit plan premium payments shall be administered in the same fashion as an Employee absent due to illness.
   5. The Employee shall continue to accrue sick leave and vacation entitlement during the leave of absence to the end of the month in which the leave begins.
   6. Leave of absence with or without pay may be granted to an Employee at the discretion of the Employer and the Employee shall not work for gain during the period of leave of absence except with the express consent of the Employer.  
   7. An Employee absent on any approved leave shall be reinstated by the Employer in the same position, classification, salary and location held immediately prior to taking such leave or be provided with alternate work of a comparable nature. 
      
      This Article does not apply to Employees changing their scope of practice such as from PCP to ACP. In such case, the Employee shall be offered a casual position in the new classification in accordance with Article 13.12.
   8. Where any leave of absence including LTD, STD and WCB exceeds one (1) month, an Employee’s increment date shall be adjusted by the amount of time that the leave of absence exceeds thirty (30) days, and the new increment date shall prevail thereafter.
   9. An Employee who has been on any extended Leave of Absence for a period of six (6) months or longer shall be provided with a minimum of two (2) shifts for re-orientation, and re-familiarization.
2. Union Business
   1. Insofar as the regular operation of the Employer will permit, Employees may, upon not less than fourteen (14) calendar days’ notice, be granted a leave of absence with pay as per Article 3.09, to attend business meetings, schools, seminars and conventions in connection with Union affairs.
   2. A maximum of four (4) representatives of the Union shall be granted time off with pay as per Article 3.09 in order to participate in Collective Bargaining with the Employer or its Bargaining Agent. The Union shall give consideration to the Employer’s operations when appointing bargaining committee members.
   3. The local unit representative or their alternate shall, subject to operational requirements, be allowed time away from assigned duties without loss of regular pay to carry out their functions as provided in this Collective Agreement.  The local unit representative shall obtain permission for such leave from the Operations Manager or their designate. 
3. Maternity and Parental Leave
   1. An Employee who has completed ninety (90) days of employment, shall, upon their written request, be granted Maternity Leave to become effective thirteen (13) weeks immediately preceding the date of delivery or such shorter period as may be requested by the Employee, provided that they commence Maternity Leave no later than the date of delivery.
   2. The Employee shall provide the written request at least two (2) weeks prior to the requested commencement date of Maternity Leave. Maternity Leave shall be without pay and benefits except for the portion of Maternity Leave during which the Employee has a valid health-related reason for being absent from work and is also in receipt of sick leave, STD, or LTD. Maternity Leave shall not exceed eighteen (18) months unless an extension is granted by the Employer.  The Employee must declare prior to the start of their Maternity Leave if their desire the leave to be greater than twelve (12) months. Request for an extension shall not be unreasonably denied.  Such extension, when granted, shall not exceed an additional six (6) months.
   3. A pregnant Employee, whose continued employment in their position may be hazardous to them or to their unborn child in the written opinion of their physician, may request a transfer to a more suitable position if one is available. Where no suitable position is available, the Employee may request Maternity Leave as provided by Article 20.04(a) if the Employee is eligible for such leave. In the event that such Maternity Leave must commence in the early stages of pregnancy which results in the need for an absence from work longer than eighteen (18) months, the Employee may request further leave without pay as provided by Article 20.01.
   4. A parent-to-be who has completed ninety (90) days of employment shall, upon their written request, be granted an unpaid leave to commence two (2) weeks prior to the delivery or such shorter period as may be mutually agreed between the Employee and the Employer.  Such leave shall be without pay and benefits and shall not exceed thirty-seven (37) weeks. The parent -to-be shall provide the written request at least two (2) weeks prior to the requested date of commencement of the Leave of Absence.
   5. An Employee absent on Parental Leave or Maternity Leave shall provide the Employer with four (4) weeks’ written advance notice of their readiness to return to work following which the Employer will reinstate them in the same position held by their immediately prior to taking such leave and at the same step in the salary scale or provide their with alternate work of a comparable nature at not less than the same step in the salary scale and other benefits that accrued to their up to the date they commenced the leave.
   6. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 19.03(a), an Employee may make prior arrangements with the Employer to prepay the full cost of benefits premiums (Employer and Employee portion) as per Article 20.01(c) of the Collective Agreement.
4. Adoptive Parent Leave
   1. An Employee who has completed ninety (90) days of employment shall be granted leave of absence without pay and benefits for a period of up to eighteen (18) months in duration for the purpose of adopting a child provided that:
      1. the Employee makes written request for such leave at the time the application for adoption is approved and keeps the Employer advised of the status of such application; and
      2. the Employee provides the Employer with at least one (1) day’s notice that such leave is to commence.
   2. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 19.03(a), an Employee on Adoptive Parent Leave may make prior arrangements with the Employer to prepay the full cost of benefits premiums (Employer and Employee portion) as per Article 20.01(c) of the Collective Agreement.
5. Paternity and Adoptive Paternity Leave
   
   Paternity leave of up to two (2) consecutive working days with pay may be granted upon the written request of an Employee to enable such Employee to attend to matters directly related to the birth or adoption of their child.  Additional paternity leave, without pay, may be granted.
6. Educational Leave
   
   An Employee may request an educational leave with or without pay.  All educational leave granted with pay by the Employer must demonstrate a benefit to the organization.
   1. The parties to this Collective Agreement recognize the value of continuing education for each Employee and recognize that continuing education may be deemed necessary for Employees covered by this Collective Agreement and recognize that the responsibility for such continuing education lies not only with the individual but also with the Employer.
   2. A paid leave of absence and/or reasonable expenses may be granted to an Employee at the discretion of the Employer to enable the Employee to participate in education programs.
   3. Should the Employer direct an Employee to participate in a specific program, such Employee shall be compensated in accordance with the following:
      1. For program attendance on regularly scheduled working days, the Employee shall suffer no loss of regular earnings.
      2. For hours in attendance at such program on regularly scheduled days off, the Employee shall be paid at their basic rate of pay to a maximum of ten (10) hours per day.
      3. Travel time and mileage outside of normal travel to work, shall be paid at the applicable rate of pay, should the distance be greater than 50km one way.
      4. The Employer will pay the cost of the course including tuition fees, reasonable travel and subsistence expenses as per Article 31 subject to prior approval.
   4. While on educational leave without pay,
      1. An Employee shall not accrue sick leave or vacation credits unless such leave is less than thirty (30) days;
   5. The Employer may enter into a Return of Service Agreement with an Employee for the purposes of sponsoring educational opportunities in exchange for a defined period of return of service by the Employee. Such Agreement shall be approved by the Union prior to Employee sign-off and the Union shall make all reasonable efforts to support these initiatives.  
7. Bereavement Leave
   1. Bereavement leave with pay of:
      1. five (5) consecutive working days shall be granted in the event of the death of a member of the Employee’s immediate family. Upon request, the Employee may be granted additional leave of absence without pay. Immediate family of the Employee is defined as spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, fiancé, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, legal guardian, niece and nephew, uncle and aunt. Step-parent, step-children, step-brother, and step-sister, shall be considered as members of the Employee’s immediate family. “Spouse” shall include common-law or same-sex relationship and shall be deemed to mean a man or woman who resided with the Employee and who was held out publicly as their spouse for a period of at least one (1) year before the death.
   2. Bereavement leave (unpaid) shall be extended for travel at the following rate:
      
                                         200 km to 500 km each way - 1 day
                                         501 km and over each way - 2 days
   3. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 20.07 (a) and (b), where special circumstances exist, an Employee may request that bereavement leave be divided into two periods.  Such request is subject to the approval of the Employer.  In no circumstances however shall an Employee be eligible for more days off with pay than they would have been eligible to receive had bereavement leave been taken in one undivided period.
   4. In the event of the death of another relative or friend, the Employer shall grant one (1) day off with pay to attend the funeral service or celebration of life.
8. Compassionate Care Leave
   1. An Employee with a qualified relative in the end stage of life shall be entitled to a leave of absence without pay but with benefits (in accordance with the provisions set forth by the benefit provider) at the normal cost sharing, for a period of up to twenty-seven (27) weeks.  Qualified relative means a person in a relationship to the Employee for whom the Employee would be eligible for the compassionate care benefit under Employment Insurance legislation.
      
       The term “cost-sharing” refers to how health plan costs are shared between Employer and Employees as per Article 19.03.
   2. Employees may be required to submit to the Employer satisfactory proof demonstrating the need for compassionate care leave.
9. Critical Illness Leave (Adult or Child)
   1. In the event of a critical illness to an Employee’s parent, spouse or child, a paid leave will be granted up to a maximum of four (4) days.  These days would be in addition to the days available to the Employee under Article 17.12. The days available under Article 17.12 must be utilized prior to the Employee being granted access to extra Critical Illness Leave under this Article.  Such request shall be approved to the extent of operational requirements permit and shall not be unreasonably denied however, the onus shall be on the Employee to provide sufficient justification to the Employer for access to these extra days prior to approval being granted. Should such request be denied, reasons in writing shall be provided upon request.
   2. In addition to the paid leave above, the following unpaid leaves may be taken:
      1. For the parents of a critically ill or injured child, an additional thirty-six (36) weeks of leave without pay may be taken;
      2. For a critically ill or injured adult family member, sixteen (16) weeks of leave without pay may be taken.
   3. Where the Employee must pay a fee for such proof, the full fee shall be reimbursed by the Employer.
10. For Reservist Leave, after twenty-six (26) weeks of employment with the Employer, Employees are eligible for unpaid leave of up to twenty (20) days annually, and/or for as long as necessary if deployed.
11. Except as described above, Employees are eligible for any leaves as set out in the Alberta Employment Standards Code. Employees are eligible for these eaves after ninety (90) days of employment. Leaves of Absence are without pay. The Employer may require proof of eligibility for the leaves.
     

(i) Personal and Family Responsibility Leave – up to five (5) days for personal illness, sickness or care of immediate family member.
(ii) Long-term illness and injury leave – up to sixteen (16) weeks for personal illness or injury.
(iii) Domestic Violence Leave – up to ten (10) days for addressing the situation of domestic violence.
(iv) Citizenship Ceremony Leave – up to one half (1/2) day to attend a Citizenship Ceremony when receiving Citizenship.
(v) Death or Disappearance of a Child – when a child of the Employee dies (up to 104 weeks) or disappears (up to 52 weeks) as a result of probable criminal act.