As Canadians face increasingly competing financial priorities while juggling busy lives at work and home, the overlap between financial worry, stress and employee health is becoming more intense. In 2018, a study published in the U.S.-based Journal of Social Service Research found employees without paid sick leave are more prone to feel stressed about their […]
Legal aid workers who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1949 have signed a tentative agreement that includes an increase in vision care benefits, sick and vacation leave and wages. “This is not just good news for our members, it’s a major victory for our most vulnerable citizens who rely on legal aid services […]
Support staff for the Prairie South School Division in Moose Jaw, Sask. have voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action, up to a full withdrawal of services, when the school year starts again. The staff, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees 5512 chapter, object to their employer’s attempt to remove a long-service recognition benefit that provides employees with […]
The union representing employees of Dominion Stores supermarkets in Newfoundland is accusing parent company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., of using an increasing number of part-time employees in order to eliminate full-time jobs. Loblaw offered voluntary buyout packages to its full-time staffers in Newfoundland in June, with the aim of eliminating 44 positions, as part of what […]
Employers are offering more innovative ways for workers to take time off, according to a survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The survey, which compiled responses from more than 600 U.S. human resources and benefits professionals and other stakeholders, found 59 per cent of organizations provide a paid vacation plan while 36 […]
Providing income support for a year to people who are too sick to work would cost the federal government $1 billion more than its current program, the parliamentary spending watchdog said Thursday. As is, the benefit available through employment insurance covers just over half of a worker’s earnings for 15 weeks, and nearly four in […]
Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre employees will see a 55 per cent increase in their health benefits reimbursement amount and an additional day of bereavement as part of their newly ratified union contract. The contract, which covers 55 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1006A, will run from Dec. 31, 2018 to December […]
It’s impossible to avoid the simple truth that people get sick, which often keeps them away from work. But which specific health conditions are keeping employees from doing their jobs? The usual suspects Plan sponsors don’t typically capture the reason for a casual absence in terms of a medical condition, says Paula Allen, vice-president of […]
The 40 employees at Welkin Child and Youth Services in Woodstock, Ont. have voted to take strike action if they can’t reach a new collective agreement by Dec. 5, 2018. In a news release, the employees’ union, Unifor Local 302, said new management at Welkin has tabled concessions to certain benefits, specifically eliminating vision care, reductions to […]
A national doctors’ group is raising concerns about the Ontario government’s move to allow employers to require workers to provide a doctor’s note to explain even minor illnesses, such as the common cold. Canadian Medical Association president Dr. Gigi Osler says the measure, included in the government’s Bill 47, could cause public health issues, as […]