Wages:
For the contract which will run from Sept. 29, 2023 to Sept. 28, 2025, an arbitration board has awarded the following wage increases:
Effective September 29, 2023: 3% Effective September 29, 2024: 3%
Premiums:
Effective September 29, 2023: Increase weekend premium by $0.37 ($2.77 to $3.14)
Effective 30 days following the date of the award: separate evening premium (1500 – 2300 hours) and night premium (2300 to 0700 hours) and increase new night premium by $0.72 ($2.26 to $2.98).
Benefits:
Effective sixty (60) days following the date of the award:
Increase Massage by $75 ($375 to $450)
Increase Physiotherapy by $75 ($375 to $450)
Increase Chiropractic by $75 ($375 to $450)
Include Implants into coverage for Crowns, Bridgework, and Repairs and increase from $1000 to $2000 maximum annually with 50/50 co-insurance
Introduce a Health Care Spending Account for active employees at $100 annually. The Health Care Spending Account can be used to pay for an employee’s and/or eligible spouses/dependents’ eligible medical expenses as defined by the Canadian Revenue Agency, because this account is tax-free.
An employee could use the account to pay the difference, where an existing benefit does not pay all of the cost of a claim. For example, where the cost of a dental procedure is not fully reimbursed.
This is a breakthrough provision and we intend to increase the amount of this account to $500 in the next round of bargaining, which is the industry standard.
Pay for quarantine or isolation:
Full and part-time employees required to isolate or quarantine because of a public health directive or employer directive or requirement of a law will be paid for all lost regularly scheduled shifts.
Weekend worker:
The employer may create, with the union’s agreement, weekend worker positions. These are positions in which the employee works every weekend unless off on a scheduled leave (like vacation). The employee works 2 weekend shifts and one shift during the week for a total of 30 hours, but they are paid for 37.5 hours and are considered full-time. Any additional shifts worked are paid at the appropriate overtime rate. Employees receive full benefits except short-term sick leave and all premiums except the weekend premium.
Bereavement Leave:
1 day bereavement leave with pay to attend the funeral or attend a memorial service (or equivalent to accommodate religious and cultural diversity) for their aunt or uncle, niece or nephew.
These improvements are brought to you by your CUPE Local union and the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE. which bargained for you provincially, together with SEIU and Unifor.
These gains follow consultations with our memberships which directed the unions to make wages, premiums and benefits major priorities for provincial bargaining.
The unions bargained and mediated over several months and CUPE arbitrated this contract on March 21, 2024.
