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To: All BCGEU Members at Lookout Housing and Health Society
Re: Estoppel Notice on Superior Benefits
On March 1, 20201 the BCGEU received formal notice from your employer that they intend to discontinue benefits that are superior to those in the collective agreement when it expires in 2022. This would mean only employees that were employed on May 1, 2006 by Lookout, and were receiving those benefits at that time, would be entitled to continue receiving them. Our understanding is this would represent only about 23 employees.
These superior benefits stem from MOU #7 of the collective agreement and the agreement between Lookout and the BCGEU prior to their inclusion in the sectoral agreement.
Unfortunately, the language of the agreement is clear and the Employer is not compelled to provide these benefits to employees that do not qualify. The Employer had been providing these benefits to all employees previously and their ‘estoppel notice’ is a legal requirement in order to notify the union and employees that they do not intend to continue those benefits during the next collective agreement.
The most significant change will be that those who do not qualify (which is the vast majority of employees) will not be covered by the Short Term Disability Plan after April 1, 2022. Your union has already arranged to meet with the employer to discuss how they intend to approach the transition from an injury and illness plan to sick day accumulation as outlined in Article 28 of the agreement. You will still have sick leave, you will just move from the plan you are currently under to a system where you earn sick leave credits and have them accumulate in a bank.
We will be taking the position that the employer will need to credit those that are moving to Article 28 with some accumulated sick leave credits and we do not accept that our members would start with no accumulate sick days after the transition.
None of these changes will take effect until April 1, 2022 – and prior to that we will ensure that stewards receive a full briefing on the changes so they are in a position to answer members questions as we move closer to the transition date.
Obviously we are frustrated by this change and we will continue to try and mitigate the impact on our members. You will be notified of any progress or changes that arise during those discussions.
In Solidarity,
Masoud Aminzavvar, L803 Chairperson
MJ Colquhoun, L804 Chairperson
Download PDF of notice here
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