The Union recently settled a policy grievance regarding a claim that ETO can be used for salary continuance, including extension of the period of benefits and seniority. In the settlement, the Employer agreed:

• To provide seniority credit for banked ETO that was paid out as a lump sum at the end of the 2019 and/or 2020 wildfire seasons.
• To consider auxiliary employees who meet the following criteria, retroactively eligible for benefits relating to the salary continuance for 2019 and 2020:
  • qualified for benefits
  •  had banked ETO at the time of their layoff in 2019 and 2020
  • scheduled the ETO time as salary continuance, and
  • salary continuance period extended beyond the last day of the month in which they were laid off
  • employees who meet the above criteria can submit receipts to Canada Life for services that are eligible for health and welfare coverage. Employees will have until December 31, 2021, to submit these receipts to Canada Life for determination of eligibility.
• Commencing with the 2021 wildfire season the Employer will implement a process for ensuring that BCWS seasonal auxiliary employees that have banked ETO when they are laid off receive appropriate seniority credit for their ETO time irrespective of whether it is scheduled or paid out. The Employer will consider BCWS employees that schedule ETO as post-layoff salary continuance to be eligible for employer-paid health and welfare benefits to the end of their salary continuance period. The final day of the salary continuance period will be treated as the day on which the employee becomes eligible for the one-month extension of health and welfare benefit coverage (per Memorandum of Understanding 36 in the 18^th Main Collective Agreement).

The Employer provided the Union with a list of employees who meet the criteria to benefit retroactively in 2019 or 2020 under the settlement agreement and we are sending letters to those employees to inform them about that.
If you haven't received a letter from the Union about that by July 31^st, 2021, and if you believe you meet the criteria outline above, please email [email protected] by August 31^st, 2021.

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP