Bethany Care Society Collective Agreement 2020-2024

LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING #8

BETWEEN

BETHANY CARE SOCIETY (BETHANY, CALGARY)
(hereinafter referred to as the Employer)

AND

THE HEALTH SCIENCES ASSOCIATION OF ALBERTA
(hereinafter referred to as the Union)

RE: SPECIAL LEAVE TO PERSONAL LEAVE TRANSITION
 

The Collective Agreement that expired July 31, 2020, provided for special leave in Clause 20.07.  The Collective agreement that expires July 31, 2024, replaces special leave with personal leave.  Special leave was previously provided on a calendar year basis, from January 1 to December 31.  Personal leave is provided on a fiscal year basis, from April 1 to March 31.  

To facilitate the transition from special leave to personal leave, the following provisions apply from January 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023: 
 

20. Special Leave

(a) Special leave will be for unanticipated absences as the result of illness in the Employee’s immediate family (“Family Leave”) or other pressing necessity (“Pressing Necessity Leave”) requiring the Employee’s immediate personal attention.

(i) Family Leave 
Family leave is intended to provide Employees with a way of attending to the health needs of their spouse (including common-law and same sex), child, step child or parent. It is for use when the Employee’s attendance is necessary (no one else can be substituted) and they are unable, through other means, to change the time when they need to be in attendance, or to arrange in advance time off work when needed through other means such as shift trades, time off in lieu, or vacation. Employees are required to provide the Employer with notification of leave requirements as early as possible after determining the need.

(ii)Pressing Necessity Leave 
A pressing necessity is a sudden or unusual circumstance that could not, by the exercise of reasonable judgment, have been foreseen by the Employee and which requires the Employee’s immediate attention (no one else can be substituted) and makes the Employee’s attendance at work impossible. However, it shall not include situations of inclement weather which prevent an Employee from attending at work.

(b) Special leave is not cumulative and is not carried forward to personal leave;

(c) Regular full-time Employees as of January 1, 2023, shall be entitled to a maximum of seven and three quarters (7 ¾) special leave non-cumulative hours without loss of pay;

(d) Regular part-time Employees as of January 1, 2023, whose full time equivalent (FTE) is zero point five (0.5) or greater shall be entitled to a maximum of five point eight one (5.81) non-cumulative hours without loss of pay prorated based on their FTE.

(e) The Employee may be required to provide satisfactory proof of illness and/or the sudden or unusual circumstance giving rise to the need for special leave.

Personal leave, as outlined in Clause 20.07, is effective as of April 1, 2023.