Other Compensation Items
Vacation
- Effective April 1, 2023 – Increase Vacation to 6 weeks after 20 years of service
Benefits
- Effective April 1, 2024 – Introduce a Health Spending Account of $100 applicable to FT active employees only
Reopener
- Board remains seized of all monetary issues should Bill 124 be overturned or otherwise not applicable
Language Amendments/New Language:
- Revision to Article 7.03 – Health and Safety - confirms the Hospital’s obligation to have readily accessible personal protective equipment
- Revision to Article 7.04 – Health and Safety - Hospital to ensure adequate supply of N95 or equivalent or better PPE is available to workers on short notice upon emergence of a pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the community served by the Hospital
- Revision to Article 7.07 – Joint Health and Safety Committee - Hospital to provide Joint H&S Committee with copy of pandemic plan and related risk assessments, accident reports, health and safety records as well as notifications of exposure to infectious or contagious disease. Hospital also required to provide Joint H&S Committee with annual report on fit testing compliance and quarterly reports on PPE inventory
- Revision to Article 8.04 – Policy grievance - allows the Hospital to designate an alternate to the CEO with respect to policy grievances
- Add new Article 11.03(B) – Elimination of Position - requires the Hospital to provide notice at the time the decision is made not to fill or eliminate a vacant position, as well as the reasons for such elimination
- Revision to Article 14.07 – Professional College Leave - requires the employee to provide the Hospital with as much advance notice as practicable of the date the re-certification examination is scheduled
- Revision to Article 17.02 – Telephone Consultation – clarifies that a request for professional services under telephone consultation can also be initiated by text message and also clarifies that telephone consultation is not limited to providing professional services via voice calls, but can also include other modes of communication such as text message, video call and email while on standby
- Revision to Article 19.03 – Vacation Interruption – confirms that an injury requiring an employee to be an inpatient in a hospital is eligible for converting vacation to sick leave
- Revision to 21.02 – Modified Work – Union will be invited to attend meetings with a bargaining unit member in relation to their modified/RTW program
- Revision to 25.02 – Claim for Related Experience – confirms that claim for recent related experience can be made at the time of hiring into the bargaining unit
- Revisions to Appendix “A” Workload Alert Notification – confirms intent of form is to appropriately capture workload issues and to facilitate discussions in resolving the issues. Bargaining unit president added to list of receiving copy. Local parties can agree to make the form available electronically
- New Letter of Understanding – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – where a committee or other hospital forum does not already exist, this LOU requires the local parties to establish an equity, diversity and inclusivity committee or hospital forum within the first year of the collective agreement term. The committee or hospital forum must include at least one representative of the Union selected or appointed from the bargaining unit
- New Letter of Understanding – Wage Standardization Committee – examine potential standardization of non-central wage grids. Committee to continue its work during the term of this collective agreement with the goal of making joint recommendations to the central bargaining teams in advance of the next round of central bargaining
Once the central collective agreement document has been updated and released by the OHA it will be posted on MyStJoes on the Employee & Labour Relations page. If you have any questions about changes to the collective agreement language please feel free to contact your ER/LR Manager.
Local collective agreement negotiations will commence in the fall. Once an agreement is reached and ratified, any amendments to the local collective agreement will be shared at that time.
2. Announcement - Manager, Security Services
Please see the below message from Franca Vavaroutsos, Chief Financial Officer:
It is with very mixed emotions that I share with you that John Scozzari, Manager Security Services, will be leaving St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. John has accepted an exciting opportunity as Senior Associate, Security Operations with L3 HARRIS Wescam. His last day with St. Joe’s is Wednesday, August 10th.
John joined St. Joe’s in 2008 as Coordinator of Security Services. He was promoted to the role of Manager in October 2013 where he continued to make significant contributions to our hospital including most notably, oversight of Security Services at all three SJHH campuses, supporting the W5th new campus development and move, coordinating the Charlton Campus perimeter door access control project as well as leading the recent Charlton Access Control System update. John has also worked tirelessly over the past two years to support his team and the organization through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the coordination and oversight of Security Services at the Satellite Health Facility and the SJHH COVID-19 Assessment and Testing Centres and Vaccination Clinic.
Many of you have had the opportunity to work with John and know firsthand the compassion, integrity and care he demonstrates with his team, fellow staff and leaders and most importantly, our patients. He has truly been a tribute to the Sisters of St. Joseph, an accomplishment that was formally acknowledged in 2019 as a recipient of the Mission Legacy Award.
John, our deepest appreciation and gratitude for all you have contributed to St. Joe’s. We wish you nothing but the best as you embrace this change and move on to the next phase of your career.
With John’s departure Lisa Ciancone has agreed to step into the role of Interim Manager, Security Services. Lisa is our Manager, Parking Services and Mail Room and will be working closely with John over the coming week.
Lisa has been with St. Joe’s for over 30 years and has held several positions across the organization during this time. She has made countless contributions to our hospital during this time – most notably, by leading our organization through a challenging supply chain landscape over the past few years. Lisa is highly knowledgeable of our hospital programs, sites and staff and will provide tremendous support to the teams during the transition.
Please join me in gratitude to John for his exceptional leadership, and welcoming Lisa to this interim assignment.
3. Announcement - Director, Occupational Health & Safety
Please see the below message from Carrie Fletcher, Vice President, People, Culture & Diversity:
I am reaching out today to let you know that Nataly Farshait, Director Occupational Health & Safety is leaving St. Joe’s Friday August 12, 2022. Nataly has only been with us for a short time but has left a lasting impression with her tireless work over the past four months. She is a very seasoned Occupational Health & Safety leader who steered us through continued challenging times with the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did she support the Occupational Health & Safety team, she provided guidance and support throughout the organization. I had the opportunity to ask Nataly what she was most proud of and she responded with the following:
“I am most proud of the Occupational Health & Safety team and the entire St. Joseph family. The spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton is alive and fills the air of the organization. It was an honour to work with the brilliant and dedicated St. Joe’s people.
The hard work and selflessness of the current team, is a tribute to the Sisters of St. Joseph who considered it an honour to serve others during the cholera epidemic; and the Catholic Women’s League who served the needs of people during the flu epidemic.”
Nataly, our deepest appreciation and gratitude for all you have contributed to St. Joe’s. We wish you nothing but the best as you move on to the next phase of your career and spend valuable time with your family.
With Nataly’s departure Seema Sharma has agreed to step in to the role of Interim Director Occupational Health & Safety. Seema is our Manager, Occupational Health & Safety and has been working closely with Nataly. Seema joined St. Joe’s in November 2020. She has over a decade of experience in medicine, occupational safety and industrial hygiene within the healthcare sector including with Unity Health and Sick Kids in Toronto, and the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana, India, where she practiced as a physician.
Her academic career includes a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree Dayanand Medical Hospital and College in India, and a Master’s degree in Public Health - Occupational Health and Safety (MPH) from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She has also obtained her Certified Industrial Hygiene (CIH) designation.
In my very short time at St. Joe’s I have very quickly learned how well respected Seema is by the Occupational Health & Safety Team, the broader People Culture and Diversity team, and the St. Joe’s management team and staff. Not only is she highly knowledgeable, she has a warm approach and a calm demeanour.
Please join me in gratitude to Nataly for her tremendous leadership, and welcoming Seema to this interim assignment.
