Q.
What does this award do?
A. We achieved a job evaluation plan that
was in compliance with the Pay Equity Act and we also achieved wage
harmonization. Job evaluation is a method of analyzing the value of
jobs using a number of factors including skill, effort,
responsibility, working conditions. Wage harmonization was necessary
to address the wage inequities created with the formation of the new
City of Toronto through amalgamation. Until now, employees have been
paid according to the pay rates of their former municipalities. That
needed to be addressed.
Q.
Does this award apply to all CUPE
Local 79 members?
A. No. This award only applies to the
full-time Unit. Awards for Part-Time Unit B and Homes for the Aged
Part-Time Unit are expected to be dealt with shortly. The award for
Recreation Unit part-time is expected to be done by the end of the
year.
Q.
How many job classifications now
exist?
A. Approximately 2,500 job classifications
have been harmonized into approximately 335 job classifications.
Q.
How does the award affect us in terms
of pay?
A. No one had a drop in pay. Over 80 per cent of
members will receive an increase and for many, several increases over
the next few years. Less than 5 per cent of the members were
unaffected. Approximately 15 per cent are red-circled which means
current rates are frozen until the new rates catch up through wage
increases negotiated at the bargaining table.
Q.
What information will employees get
about their harmonized classification?
A. Every member will
receive a letter with information about their new classification,
rating, and salary range.
Q. What does the wage line look like?
A. The wage line goes from 1 to 20, with
four incremental steps. There is 3 percent difference between each of
the steps and a 5.15 per cent difference between each wage grade.
Q.
How do I know where I fall in the wage
schedule (Appendix B)?
A. You will fall halfway between your
current rate and the next highest step on the new wage schedule. For
example, look at wage Grade 5 in the appendix. Here is the chart:
|
Wage Grade |
Step 1 |
Step 2 |
Step 3 |
Step 4 |
|
5 |
20.08 |
20.70 |
21.34 |
22.00 |
If your job is rated as a Wage Grade 5 and your current wage is
$20.25, then effective Dec. 31, 2004 you will receive an hourly wage
halfway between $20.25 and the next highest step, Step 2, which is
$20.70. So you will receive an hourly rate of $20.48.
Then effective Dec. 31, 2005, you will receive the Step 3 wage of
$20.70 an hour. Dec. 31, 2006, you will receive the Step 4 rate of
$21.34. By Dec. 31, 2007, you will be earning $22.00.
Please note that these figures do not include increases obtained
through collective bargaining negotiations. You will actually be
making more money than what is shown in Appendix B depending on what
we achieve at the bargaining table.
Q. Does this award apply to permanent
part-time workers who participate in the pilot project or are grandparented under the full-time collective agreement?
A. Yes. They belong to the full-time bargaining unit.
Q.
Do I need to apply for my job?
Q.
Is there a time limit to appeal?
A. You should contact the wage harmonization committee as soon
as possible if there is a problem.
Q. I am on an alternate rate? How does harmonization work for
me?
A. You are harmonized to your base position,
not your alternate rate, but keep in mind that your alternate rate
classification has also been harmonized and you should check to see if
it has a new wage rate.
Q. What if my alternate rate position is rated lower than my
base rate?
A. You cannot be paid an alternate rate
which is less than your rate of pay in your base position.
Q. Were my years of service taken into consideration?
A. Job evaluation is about the job and not
the individual so years of service were not considered. The Union
did, however, argue that years of service should be recognized through
where individuals would be placed on the wage grid, but the arbitrator
did not agree because of the cost factor.
Q. I think I have been placed in the wrong classification.
A. If you believe that you have been mapped
incorrectly (put in the wrong classification for what your duties
entail) please contact the Local 79 wage harmonization committee. We
will investigate and do what we can to rectify the situation.
Q.
There are critical duties missing from
my job description. What does that mean?
A. These are job profiles, not complete job
descriptions. They are not supposed to describe all duties, however,
if you feel that a significant core duty has been omitted from the job
description, please contact the wage harmonization committee as soon
as possible.
Q. Were wage rates from outside the City of Toronto taken in
consideration?
A. No. The Job Evaluation Plan does not use outside
comparators.
Q.
Who rated the jobs?
A. The arbitrator rated the jobs according to the Job
Evaluation Plan Appendix A.
Q.
Why weren’t hours of work harmonized?
A. This is one of many issues we are now
dealing with at the bargaining table because it was not dealt with
through this process.
Q. How much retroactive pay are we going to get?
A. Retroactive pay dates back to Dec. 31,
2004. In addition, the City was ordered to pay a lump sum in the
amount of $1.75 million to be divided equally amongst members who
receive wage increases. We argued strenuously for full retroactivity
but the arbitrator did not agree.
Q. Do we need to ratify this?
A. No. This is an arbitrated award. It is not the same as
collective bargaining.
Q. Why
won’t we receive retroactive pay from the date of amalgamation?
A. The arbitrator made the decision. He
said that had he given more retroactivity all the wages would have
been significantly lower and many more jobs would have been
red-circled. Red-circling means that wages are frozen at the rates
they are now. They are not decreased.
Q. I have not been able to get through to
the wage harmonization office. What should I do?
A. The harmonization committee is busy
responding to phone messages, faxes and emails. Please leave a
message and they will contact you as soon as possible. The response
time has improved. It is currently 24 hours. Phone: 416-338-0085;
0086; 0087; 0088; 0089. Fax: 416-338-0090.
There is also a
harmonization inquiries form
available for you to outline your concerns and fax them to the
office. You can find it on this website.
Q. Can we appeal as a group if we feel
that our job classification has not been properly mapped?
A. Yes. Remember to list all the names and
phone numbers of the people in the group. If you have a particular
contact person, please indicate that as well.
Q. What if there are aspects of the job I
have been mapped to that I do not know how to do?
A. We believe it is the employer’s
responsibility to provide you with the necessary training. If that is
not possible because the nature of the work is so different, contact
the wage harmonization committee.
Q.
Can errors be fixed?
A. If you believe that you have been mapped
incorrectly (put in the wrong classification for what your duties
entail) or if core duties were omitted from your job description,
please contact the Local 79 wage harmonization committee. We will
investigate and do what we can to rectify the situation.
Q.
How long will I be red-circled?
A. Red circling will end when the negotiated
wage increases achieved through normal collective bargaining cause the
new wage grade to catch up to your red-circled rate.
Q.
How will new or changed job classifications be dealt with in
the future?
A. We achieved a joint Union-management job
evaluation programme that has a maintenance component to deal with new
jobs or changes to existing jobs. The programme is outlined in
Appendix A, schedules A, B, and C of the award.
Q. Will I get my increment
before the award is implemented?
A. Increments will be paid up to the effective date of the
award
Q. Why did the wage harmonization process take so long?
A. When Local 79 went to the bargaining
table in 1999, there were more than 2,500 classifications in the
Full-Time bargaining unit. We did not win language to begin to deal
with these issues until the strike in 2000. We got letters of intent
that covered Rate and Job Classification Harmonization, Job
Evaluation, and Pay Equity. Then we met with the City to try to
negotiate. When that proved difficult because we were not getting any
information, we proceeded to arbitration. The arbitrator then set the
terms of the process and assisted the Union and the City. Local 79
continued to make its case on a number of aspects. Finally, we waited
for the arbitrator to issue his award.