COUNTY OF SIMCOE
To:
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
Section:
Performance Management – Human Resources
Item Number:
CCW 16-198
Meeting Date:
June 14, 2016
Subject:
SEIU Interest Arbitration Award – Sunset Manor, Simcoe Manor and Trillium
Manor
Recommendation:
THAT the Interest Arbitration Award rendered by the arbitration panel of the Ministry of Labour on
April 26, 2016, concerning the Corporation of the County of Simcoe and the Service Employees’
international Union (SEIU) local 1 (Sunset Manor, Simcoe Manor & Trillium Manor) be approved as
outlined in Item CCW 16-198, dated June 14, 2016;
AND THAT the appropriate Human Resources staff prepare the formal contract as outlined in Item
CCW 16-198;
AND THAT the necessary by-law be presented to County Council to authorize the Warden and Clerk
to execute the formal collective agreement with the Service Employees’ international Union (SEIU)
local 1 (Sunset Manor, Simcoe Manor & Trillium Manor).
Executive Summary:
Negotiations between the County of Simcoe and SEIU (representing staff at Trillium Manor, Sunset
Manor and Simcoe Manor) commenced on November 27, 2014. The previous collective agreement
between SEIU Local 1 and the Corporation of the County of Simcoe expired on December 31, 2013.
This bargaining unit is comprised of approximately 500 full-time and part-time staff members, in
various jobs including Registered Practical Nurses, Personal Support Workers, Cooks, Dietary
Aides, Housekeepers, Laundry workers and Maintenance workers.
After 7 days of bargaining the Corporation of the County of Simcoe reached a tentative agreement
with respect to all language issues with Service Employees International Union Local 1 on April 24,
2015 however their list of monetary demands were referred to Interest Arbitration under the Hospital
Labour Disputes Arbitration Act 1990 (HLDAA 1990). The issues were presented to an Arbitration
Panel on April 13, 2016 and a decision from the Arbitration Panel was executed on April 26, 2016.
June 14, 2016
Committee of the Whole CCW 16-198
2
Background/Analysis/Options:
The two monetary proposals that were referred to interest arbitration by the union were wages and
benefit increases for massage and chiropractic care. The County Bargaining Committee was
expecting the same outcome as was agreed to by the SEIU RN bargaining unit at Sunset Manor,
which was 1.5% in 2014 and 1.4% for 2015. The Arbitration Board Chair issued a decision by
awarding a two percent (2%) general wage increase for 2014 and one point five percent (1.5%)
increases for both 2015 and 2016.
The award also included all proposals previously agreed to by the parties during the course of
negotiations.
This agreement was reached by the efforts of the Corporation of the County of Simcoe’s negotiation
team consisting of Mike Moffatt, Director, Human Resources; Janice McCuaig, Administrator,
Trillium Manor; Susan Fagan, Administrator, Simcoe Manor; and Kyla Martell, Manager of
Employee/Labour Relations.
The key components of the award are as follows:
a. Term
January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016
b. Wages
January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014 – 2% general wage increase*
January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015 – 1.5% general wage increase*
January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 – 1.5% general wage increase*
*payment for retroactivity paid within 3 full pays of the date of the Award
The foregoing is within the current pattern of arbitrated awards within the broader municipal and
public sectors.
c. Benefits
Increase to the annual amounts of coverage for massage and Chiropractic as follows:
Massage – increase from $150 per year to $250 per year
Chiropractic – increase from $250 per year to $300 per year
d. RPN wage Adjustment
The Award stipulated a $0.25 per hour wage increase for RPN’s effective January 1, 2016.
e. New Letter of Understanding Re: labour-Management Committee
The parties negotiated a terms of Reference concerning the joint Labour Management
Committee. The Terms of Reference set out the terms of the Committee as follows:
June 14, 2016
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f.
Committee of the Whole CCW 16-198
3
Purpose and Mandate of the Committee
Participation – the Terms of Reference define who and how many may participate on the
committee as well as how the County and the Union will address wages and leave to attend
for staff.
Agenda and Minutes of the meetings
The Operation of the Committee and the types of discussion that are proper for this forum
Language Amendments, Additions and Deletions
The parties agreed to delete several redundancies identified in the Collective Agreement. The
parties also reviewed several outdated articles to make changes to reflect current and modern
practices.
Financial and Resource Implications:
The financial resources necessary to implement this award were appropriately budgeted for in the
2014, 2015 and 2016 budget years.
The chart below illustrates the total compensation for wages and benefits for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
YEAR
2014
2015
2016
COST PER YEAR
TOTAL COST ($)
(%)
1.79%
$321,132.85
1.35%
$239,802.62
1.59%
$287,130.73
Total
4.81%
$848,066.21
The 4.81% increase represents total compensation, wages and benefits and spans a thirty-six
(36) month period. This award is within the goals for annual increases in wages and benefits for
the County of Simcoe. Recent trends in collective bargaining indicate that total compensation
increases range from 1.5% to 2% per year.
Relationship to Corporate Strategies:
This item is directly related to Council’s Strategic Direction E:
A Culture of Workplace and Operational Excellence: Create and maintain a healthy work
environment that:
 supports personal and professional growth
 promotes effective, open and inclusive communications
June 14, 2016
Committee of the Whole CCW 16-198
4
Reference Documents:
No reference documents associated with this Item.
Attachments:
Schedule 1 – Interest Arbitration Award
CCW 16-198 Interest
Award.pdf
Schedule 2 – Signed Agreed to Items for Conciliation
CCW 16-198 Signed
Agreed to Items.pdf
Prepared By:
Mike Moffatt, Director, Human Resources
Bill Foley, Employee/Labour Relations Consultant
Approvals:
Date:
Trevor Wilcox, General Manager, Corporate Performance
Mark Aitken, Chief Administrative Officer
June 6, 2016
June 6, 2016