The federal government has begun imposing financial sanctions on the Canada Life Assurance Co. after months of outcry from public servants, retirees and their families who were left fighting for medical claims to be covered, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Public Services and Procurement Canada said it’s “taking steps to address startup delays faced by […]
The union representing more than 600 employees at GreenShield Canada in Toronto and Windsor, Ont. has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains, ending a strike that began on March 1. The agreement includes a $1.50 increase to the defined benefit pension plan for each year, bringing employees from a $71 […]
The Public Service Alliance of Canada recently filed a policy grievance against the Treasury Board for its management of the transfer of the Public Service Health Care Plan to Canada Life Assurance Co., which has impacted tens of thousands of federal public service workers covered under the plan. In 2023, the federal government implemented two […]
More than 300 employees of Windsor, Ont.’s Jamieson Laboratories Ltd. are ending their 34-day strike after securing a new contract agreement that includes significant wage increases and benefits enhancements. On March 5, members of Unifor Local 195 voted to ratify a four-year collective agreement — effective Feb. 1, 2024 to Jan. 31, 2028 — that […]
While U.S. auto workers would like to see their pension plans converted from defined contribution to defined benefit, it may be more challenging than it was for their Canadian colleagues. The recent contract agreements for Unifor members at Ford of Canada and General Motors will see DC plan members move into the Colleges of Applied […]
The Federal Court has ruled that the termination of long-term disability benefits for employees who become eligible to receive unreduced pension benefits doesn’t amount to age discrimination. The case arose from the terms of a collective bargaining agreement between Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots Association. The agreement provided that pilots were eligible to […]
Trent University support workers represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union are joining the University Pension Plan. Under a new three-year collective agreement, the 460 employees — including administrative support staff, caretakers, secretaries, systems analysts and teaching assistants — will transition from the university’s defined benefit pension plan to the UPP in January 2025. […]
A recent Ontario Divisional Court ruling serves as a caution that employers’ prior conduct may prohibit them from amending pension plans even when the collective agreement clearly allows them to do so. “The takeaway from the decision is that employers’ discretion to amend plans will always be subject to labour law principles in cases that […]