There has been a lot of conversation with the University as well as our Unifor National Representatives as we have worked through the COVID-19 impacts on our members. We know that your supervisors are requesting that members submit vacation requests and some of the messaging on that has been challenging. We have been working through the vacation issue as part of the overall plan for Facility Services Members. While we don’t agree with the University’s interpretation of our Collective Agreement language, refusing to put in vacation requests would be considered insubordination.
All members of Unit 5 have been or will be asked to submit vacation requests that amount to half of their 2020 vacation entitlement to be taken by the end of June-essentially half of your vacation by the end of the first half of the year.
While we appreciate this is not ideal, we also need to have plans put in place that ensure as many of our members continue to work for as long as possible under the State-of-Emergency measures currently in place. Facilities will be starting to roll out operational plans into the summer with the vacation measures being part of that planning.
CTO will not be included in the vacation requirements as there is other language in the Collective Agreement that speaks to that, and it will be paid out after the end of April as per that language.
If you are not sure of your entitlement, or how much you are required to book etc , we suggest you raise those questions with your supervisor via email. If you are being requested to book more than ½ your entitlement or have a circumstance that requires further clarification, reach out to us at the contacts below.
We also know this has been a difficult time and are seeing these impacts across all of our units and campus as a whole. Again, you are encouraged to reach out to us.
Unit Chair-Chantelle Hankins
Chantelle.hankins@unifor5555.ca
Vice-President-Emily Heikoop
President-Beth Couchman