It recently came to the Union's attention that not all Community Health Workers at Fraser Health who are eligible to be enrolled in the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP) have been.

According to your collective agreement:

• All regular Community Health Workers in positions with weekly posted hours of 35 to 40 shall be enrolled in the Municipal Pension Plan upon completion of their probationary period
  
  
• Regular CHW's not deemed to be full time (in positions with weekly posted hours of less than 35) and casual CHW's are eligible for enrolment in the Municipal Pension Plan if they meet eligibility criteria under the MPP rules. Current MPP rules state that employees who have completed two years of continuous employment with earnings not less than 35% of the year's maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE) in each of two consecutive years (the YMPE is set by the federal government and changes from year to year, but in 2019 the YMPE was $57,400) are eligible for enrollment in the pension plan. Once an employee reaches that milestone, they should be offered an opportunity to enroll in the plan, which includes Employer contributions to members' MPP.

A pension is a valuable source of retirement income. Each time you are paid, both you and your Employer contribute to the plan, and when you retire, you receive a lifetime monthly pension. This is a significant benefit of employment at Fraser Health

The Union has brought this issue to the Employer's attention and have filed a grievance on behalf of members to ensure that all members impacted are made whole. The Employer has assured the Union that they are investigating this issue and reaching out to impacted employees to offer enrollment.

The BCGEU does not yet know how many members were eligible to enroll who have not been given that opportunity. As noted, all regular CHW's with weekly posted hours of 35 to 40 MUST be enrolled as a condition of employment, while part-time and casual CHW's who meet the criteria above have the option to choose enrollment. If you should have been offered the choice of enrollment in the plan, and choose to enroll now, the Employer must pay its share of the arrears, while you can choose whether you want to pay the employee contribution.

If you believe you should have been offered MPP enrollment, or have any questions about this issue, please contact a steward.

In solidarity

Nicki Pearson, Staff Representative

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP