BENEFIT COVERAGE POLICY GRIEVANCE Mike Donaldson

With increasing frequency, we are hearing complaints that members are being denied reimbursement for medical/dental claims. Some of these denials were reversed after the members phoned Coughlin to challenge their decision.

Each old union still has in place separate benefit policies, which do not all provide the same coverage. Ensure that when you complete your claim form you indicate which historical local your position is associated with.(OPSEU 422, 423, 425, CUPE 576, 1580, 1657, AAHPO grace/civic). These differences will cease when a new contract is signed and we will then have only one benefit plan.

The union is concerned that the hospital has unilaterally changed the benefit coverage. If you have been denied a claim, please contact your campus VP with the details.

COMPENSATION FOR SPECIALIZATION?
Is there a case?

It is not uncommon for health care professionals to receive enhanced compensation for performing specialized work within their discipline. This practice has been in place for years at both the Civic (MRI techs, Angio techs) and the General (Pharmacists). Do we wish to preserve this practice and extend it to other positions in the bargaining unit?

PROS

• rewards efforts for enhanced education and skills
• increases promotion opportunities

CONS

• creates smaller groups of employees which may limit bumping opportunities
• may create friction amongst co-workers

Have you any comments about this subject or ideas for other issues that should be discussed in this newsletter? If you do, e-mail them to health464@hotmail.com.

CONTRACT HIGHLIGHT - PAYMENT OF OVERTIME
Brian Landry

It has been brought to our attention that managers are refusing to pay overtime claims on the basis of budget restraints. If you regularly work your breaks, lunch or beyond the normal work hours, you are entitled to overtime payments at time and a half (and in some cases, double time). You can bank these hours or elect to have them paid out. It is your choice.

Refusing to enforce your rights helps management to perpetuate understaffing and excessive workload. This could land you in hot water with your college. And while overtime must be authorized, finishing a procedure you started before the end of your workday (where you expected it would be finished within your workday) is considered authorized and does not require your manager's approval. However, you should request approval if you know that a procedure will extend beyond the workday.

Authorization is required for procedures started after the normal workday or for missed meal breaks. However, if the employer refuses to authorize this work, that means you should not do it. If something went wrong while "working without authorization"; liability could become a very serious issue.

Remember that being "authorized to work overtime" means being authorized to "work". The payment flows from the collective agreement and is non-negotiable by the employee and the manager.

ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT POLICY
Mary Sue Smith

Recently the employer finalized and implemented a new attendance management policy. This policy allows the employer to review an individual's absences in comparison to the hospital's current average sick leave usage. There is nothing that prevents the employer from monitoring sick leave usage but the concern we have is the calculation of the hospital average. If an employee is sick but reports to work anyway, is the average actually reflective of incidents of illness? Also, if a part time employee without sick leave entitlement claims the day as simply a day off without pay, rather than unpaid sick leave (yes, there is a payroll code for that), how does that affect the hospital average? It is important that the employees who are sick use the benefits they are entitled to and that time cards accurately reflect when a part time person is off sick so that the hospital average is accurately calculated. An inaccurate sick leave average can adversely affect all members.

HOW TO CONTACT US Hélène Proulx - President Microbiology (General) hproulx464@hotmail.com

Mike Donaldson - VP Civic Radiology (Civic) michaeld@cyberus.ca

Mary Sue Smith - VP General Cytology (General) ms.smith@sympatico.ca

Brian Landry - VP Riverside Physiotherapy (Riverside) ottsouth@magma.com

CLASSIFICATIONS UPDATE

In the last issue of the newsletter we gave people some information about how classification disputes were to be dealt with. We would just like to reiterate that we need people who have concerns over how they will be classified to contact us and to begin to gather information for us. We need your old job description, your new job description, a list of your current duties and responsibilities, your length of time in this job, have there been any recent changes to your job and how do you think you should be classified. We will start organizing meetings with individuals and groups in early September and we'll need this information as soon as you can get it to us. No one knows your job like you do, and we'll need your assistance if we are to be successful. You can contact any of the campus executive officers for further information or to provide us with the information we require.