Prairie Emergency Medical Services Inc. Collective Agreement 2020-2025

Article 20: Annual Vacation

1. The rate at which vacation is earned shall be governed by the total length of continuous employment as a Regular or Temporary Employee as follows:
   
    

   All Hours worked as a Regular or Temporary Employee, excluding  overtime hours X

   The applicable percentage as outlined below =

   Number of hours of paid vacation

   Years of Continuous Employment 1 & 2 years	5.50%
   3 & 4 years	6.70%
   5 & 6 years	8.80%
   7, 8 & 9 years	9.90%
   10+ years	12.10%

2. An Employee leaving the service of the Employer at any time before they have exhausted the vacation credits to which they are entitled shall receive a proportionate payment of salary in lieu of such earned vacation.
3. All Employees shall submit their vacation requests to the Employer prior to March 1st of each year and approval of vacation time requested shall be made or denied by the Employer no later than March 31st of that same year.
   1. An Employee may submit a vacation request after March 31. Approval or denial shall be subject to operational feasibility and shall not be unreasonably denied.
   2. Seniority shall be considered when there is a dispute regarding a preference for the time that vacation is to be taken.  Employees failing to submit vacation requests prior to March 1st shall not be entitled to exercise their seniority rights in respect to any vacation time previously selected by an Employee with less seniority.
4. No Employee may continue to work and draw vacation pay in lieu of taking their vacation.
5. All vacation earned in one vacation year shall be taken during the next year following, at   a mutually agreeable time, except that an Employee may be permitted to carry forward a portion of vacation entitlement to the next vacation year. Requests to carry forward vacation (maximum of five (5) days or equivalent hours) shall be made in writing and shall be subject to the approval of the Employer. On approval, this vacation time must be used within the first three (3) calendar months of the carryover year.
6. Notwithstanding Article 20.05 above, an Employee shall have the right to utilize vacation credits during the vacation year in which they are earned provided the following conditions are met;
   1. such utilization does not exceed the total credits earned by an Employee at the time of taking vacation; and
   2. such vacation is taken at a mutually agreeable time.
7. An Employee may request vacation leave during any period of the year.
8. Upon the request of the Employee, earned vacation credits may be divided into more than one vacation period if approved by the Employer.  The periods may be divided into blocks as small as one day at a time unless otherwise mutually agreed.
9. Unless given four (4) weeks’ notice of an alteration to their scheduled vacation period, an Employee required by the Employer to work during their vacation period will receive two times (2X) their Basic Rate of Pay for all hours worked.  This premium payment will cease and the Employee's Basic Rate of Pay will apply at the start of their next regularly scheduled shift. The time so worked will be rescheduled as vacation leave with pay to be added to the vacation period, when possible, or the Employee will be granted equivalent time off in lieu thereof at a mutually agreed later date. With the approval of the Employer, an Employee may elect to receive payment at the Basic Rate of Pay in lieu of the aforementioned time off.
10. When an Employee’s approved vacation is cancelled by the Employer, the Employer shall be responsible for all non-refundable costs related to the cancellation of the vacation. Employees shall make every effort in order to mitigate losses.
11. Vacation for Casual Employees:
    1. A Casual Employee shall be paid, in addition to their Basic Rate of Pay, five percent (5%) of their regular earnings.
    2. Unless upon request, a Casual Employee shall not be scheduled to work or be placed on call for three (3) weeks during each vacation year.  Such vacation may be applied for during any period of the year but shall be taken at a mutually agreeable time.  Additional leave will be granted during each vacation year as applicable depending on vacation entitlements.
    3. Only those regularly scheduled hours and additional hours paid at the Basic Rate of Pay and on a Named Holiday to a maximum of eighteen (18) hours for EMS staff and periods of sick leave with pay will be recognized as regular earnings for the purpose of determining vacation pay.