Covenant Health Collective Agreement 2020-2024

Article 23: Sick Leave

Note: Clause 23.02 and 23.07 amended for EMS in Local Conditions (Page 170)

1.  

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

   2. The Employer 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. An Employee shall be allowed a credit for sick leave computed from the date of employment at the rate of one and one-half (1 1/2) working days for each full month of employment up to a maximum credit of one hundred and twenty (120) working days.

3. In a facility where there is no Short-Term Disability plan in effect, an Employee who continues to be off work but who has exhausted their sick leave credits, shall be deemed to be on a leave of absence without pay or benefits for up to one hundred and twenty (120) working days from the first (1st) day of absence from work, or until the Employee becomes eligible to apply for Long-Term Disability benefits, whichever occurs first.

4. An Employee granted sick leave shall be paid for the period of such leave at their Basic Rate of Pay, and the number of hours 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.

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

6. An Employee absent on sick leave shall make every reasonable effort to keep the Employer advised as to the expected return to work date.

7. When an Employee has accrued the maximum sick leave credit of one hundred and twenty (120) working days, 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.

8. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Collective Agreement, sick leave pay shall not be granted during any leave of absence.

9. Sick leave credits shall accrue for the first (1st) month during periods of illness, injury, layoff, and/or leaves of absence in excess of one (1) month.

10.  

    1. No sick leave shall be granted for any illness which is incurred once an Employee commences their vacation; in this event, the Employee will be receiving vacation pay. For the purposes of this Article, vacation is deemed to have commenced on the completion of the last regularly scheduled shift worked prior to the vacation period inclusive of scheduled days off.

    2. Sick leave shall be granted:

       1. if an Employee becomes ill during their vacation period as stated in Article 23.10(a) above, only after the expiry of the Employee’s vacation and provided the illness continues beyond the vacation;

       2. for the period of sick time falling within a scheduled vacation period provided that the Employee becomes ill prior to the commencement of the scheduled vacation. If the Employee so wishes, the number of sick days paid within the scheduled vacation period shall be considered as vacation days not taken and may be rescheduled to a later date.

    3. Notwithstanding the provision of Article 23.10(a), should an Employee demonstrate to the Employer that they were ill or injured for a period of at least three (3) working days which would have prevented them from attending work, or is admitted to hospital as an “in patient” during the course of their vacation, they shall be considered to be on sick leave for the period in excess of three (3) days or the hospitalization and subsequent period of recovery provided the Employee notifies the Employer upon return from vacation and provides satisfactory proof of their illness, injury or hospitalization. Vacation time not taken as a result of this provision shall be rescheduled to a mutually agreeable time.

11. An Employee who commences employment within six (6) months of the date that they voluntarily terminated employment with either the same Employer or an Employer signatory to a Collective Agreement containing identical sick leave provisions shall retain to their benefit, in accordance with the provisions of this Article, entitlement to the balance of accumulated sick leave credits at the time of said termination. Otherwise, sick leave credits will be cancelled and no payment will be due therefore. The Employee shall be provided with a written statement of such entitlement upon their termination.

12. Employees are strongly encouraged to schedule personal medical appointments outside of working hours. When this is not possible, the Employee shall obtain prior authorization twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the appointment. Requests for authorization to attend a qualifying appointment with less than twenty-four (24) hours’ notice shall not be unreasonably denied. Qualifying appointments include all medical, dental and paramedical covered by the extended health care plan and excludes those covered by the Flexible Spending Account (FSA). If an Employee requires time off for the purpose of attending a qualifying appointment listed above, provided they have been given prior authorization by the Employer, such absence shall be neither charged against their accumulated sick leave, nor shall the Employee suffer any loss of income provided such absence does not exceed two (2) hours during one (1) work day. If the absence is longer than two (2) hours, the whole period of absence shall be charged against their accumulated sick leave. Employees may be required to submit satisfactory proof of appointments.

13. Information on an Employee’s sick leave shall be confidential unless the Employee consents in writing to such release.