East Central Ambulance Association Collective Agreement 2025 - 2028

Article 16: Sick Leave

1.  
   1. Sick leave is provided by ECAA for any illness, quarantine by a Medical Officer, or because of an accident for which compensation is not payable under The Workers Compensation Act. 

   2. ECAA recognizes that alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness are illnesses which can respond to therapy and treatment, and that absence from work due to such therapy shall be considered sick leave.

2. Upon successful completion of the probationary period, Employees shall be credited with sick leave retroactive to their date of hire. Sick leave is accrued at a rate of one and one-half (1.5) working days for each full month of employment, up to a maximum of one hundred and twenty (120) working days.

3. An Employee granted sick leave shall be paid for the period of such leave such that the Employee will suffer no loss of pay from normal daily wage consisting of the twelve (12) hour tour of duty at the applicable Salary Appendix rate and an additional twelve (12) hours at the On-Call Rate. The number of days thus paid shall be deducted from their accumulated sick leave credits up to the total amount of the Employee’s accumulated credits at the time sick leave commenced.

4. Employees may be required to submit satisfactory proof to ECAA of any illness, non‑occupational accident or quarantine. Where the Employee must pay a fee for such proof, the fee shall be reimbursed by the Employer.

5. When an Employee has accrued the maximum sick leave, they shall no longer accrue sick leave credits until such time as their total accumulation is reduced below the maximum. At that time, they shall recommence accumulating sick leave credits.

6. Sick leave pay shall not be granted during any leave of absence. Sick leave pay     shall be granted for complications which may arise from a pregnancy before and after completion of maternity leave as granted under Article 19 (Leaves of Absence).

7. Upon termination of employment, all sick leave credits shall be cancelled and no
   payment shall be due.

8. Sick leave credits shall not accrue during periods of illness, injury, and/or leaves of absence in excess of one (1) month.

9. An Employee may request in writing, once a year, the status of their sick leave
   entitlements.

10. Should an Employee suffer an illness or injury which result in their hospitalization, or which would otherwise have prevented the Employee from attending work for three (3) consecutive working days or more, the Employee shall be considered as being on sick leave for the period of hospitalization or that period that exceeds the three (3) consecutive working days provided the Employee notifies the Employer upon return from vacation and provided satisfactory proof of hospitalization, illness or injury and its duration. Vacation time not taken shall be rescheduled to a mutually agreeable time. 

11. In circumstances where an Employee has been absent due to illness for two (2) weeks or more, the Employee must provide advance written notice of an intention to return to the workplace at least one (1) shift rotation prior to their anticipated return date. Such notice must be accompanied by medical documentation confirming the Employee’s fitness to return to work as of the proposed date.

12. After an Employee has been absent due to illness, ECAA will make every reasonable effort to facilitate the Employee’s return upon medical clearance to the station at which they were previously posted and ECAA will have the right, where operationally necessary to do so, to arrange the return of the Employee to another station once the Employee is medically cleared to return.