FT Employment Stability FAQ

A person who has been reassigned to a role could still potentially be bumped out of it if there is seniority available. 

The pension contributions are vested and are yours. Membership in the CAAT pension plan is automatically extended for 24 months at the end of employment, and the pension plan will reach out to you with your options. Additional information will follow from Total Rewards closer to the layoff date. If you'd like to better understand the amount within your plan and what options will be available, please visit Members CAAT Pension. 

No, as per 15.1.1, accepting severance does not terminate the right to retraining. However, if you accept reassignment, you will not be provided retraining. 

When the college gives notice of upcoming layoffs, the ESC meets within 5 days of the notice to begin deliberations to develop recommendations designed to minimize or prevent employee dislocation (15.3.1). Their deliberations are confidential (15.3.2). 

A hypothetical situation could involve the college proposing to move an employee from a redundant position to a lower payband. As a team, our goal would be to hold the college accountable and ensure they offer the best possible position for the employee. For example, if there's a suitable vacancy at the same payband the college had missed, we could recommend that as an alternative. We would compare Position Description Forms (PDFs) to support this decision. 

In the end, the college and union sides both submit confidential recommendations to the college president, who then makes final decisions (15.3.4).

If, after reading the recommendations, the president still feels layoffs are required, the college will send out written notices of layoff to employees (15.3.5.1). 

Q: Do Probationary Employees (15.4.1)  & Appendix D Employees (p.111) get severance? 

• No, they are not entitled to severance, recall, or bumping, and would be released upon layoff notice .

Q: Do Employees with less than 5 years of service  get severance?

• They are not automatically entitled to severance.

• They will only receive severance by notifying the College that you will accept severance within 21 calendar days of their layoff notice (CA15.5.1 ); this means you give up your recall rights.

Q: Do Employees with more than 5 years of service get severance?

• They can elect to receive severance at any time in the layoff process process.  You also receive severance if you reject an offer of reassignment and sever your employment. Finally, you would receive severance if your time on the recall list ends before a new position is found for you (CA15.5.1; p. 90).

Q: If I choose severance, can the remainder of my notice period be paid in a lump sum?

• Yes. You can choose to receive the remainder in a lump sum.  Note to FT members: your access to benefits will end immediately if you choose not to continue your 90-day notice period. 

Q: Are severance payments and lump sum payments of my remaining notice period subject to deductions?

• Yes, the same ones that happen with your normal pay.

Q: Can the College deposit my lump sum or severance payment into my RRSP?

• Yes. If you choose severance and want to end your notice period early with a lump sum payment, reply directly to your notice email and notify HR to arrange a transfer into an RRSP.

Our collective agreement specifies that we will receive layoff notices within 14 days of announcement unless an extension is mutually agreed upon by the college and the union for a fair and accurate process (15.3.5.1).  We cannot predict the employer's future plans regarding announcements of future layoffs.

No. We bank them, but they are not paid out. If you are sick, take your sick days.

The ESC will meet monthly and monitor the recall list. If you have not been reassigned and are laid off, the ESC meets once a month and works on this process to ensure that we recall people to fit the positions that may come up. If you see a position come up that you fit, you can absolutely reach out and let us know.

The FT seniority list is published in the HR portal. 

Your seniority at Conestoga begins at Conestoga--you cannot transfer seniority from another college.

Yes! If you are getting a paycheck, you are getting benefits.

The payband considered is the one you are currently employed in. We cannot bump people into higher paybands (15.4.3).

It depends on what positions or departments are affected. It is positions that are made redundant not people. 

That being said,  there is no bumping or recall for probationary members. If we are looking at bumping, they could be affected that way, even if initially there were no positions made redundant in their area. If they are bumped out  by someone who has the necessary skills from a different part of the college, then they would be laid off.

It would be sent to your personal email.

The ESC process in 15.3.3 is confidential, so there is no involvement with the member during this period. The member becomes involved after the recommendations by the ESC are made to the president, the president makes their decision, and layoff notices are sent out. The notices will be done as quickly as possible. If you are laid off or reassigned and you do not agree, you have the option at this point to ask questions (when you receive notice), and if you do not agree you have the right to grieve.

If someone is placed into a position that does not fit their ability, if they have a documented accommodation, this will also be considered in the ESC process. If you do not have a documented accommodation it won't be considered. Please reach out if you fall into the second category. 

Yes. In the case of layoff and reassignment we want to know your full skillset and experience including things you may have left out in your original application. 

No, sadly not. Our primariy goal  at the ESC, as per the collective, is to put someone into their current payband.

You can elect layoff instead of bumping within 5 days of notice. If a vacancy comes up in the future, you could be recalled.

No, unless you are not fit for the position you are bumped into. You can, however, elect layoff instead of bumping.

No, but you can only work as much as you can. This is where you would let the local know! If there are people on layoff and we need more staff, this is an opportunity to reconsider recalling staff.

It should be two maximum.

If you are on lay-off you can take them before you are laid off or you are paid out. Vacation days are not a use it or lose it scenario. You do not get paid out for sick days however.

One of the questions we have in the ESC is what is vacant? Anything in interviews needs to stop. If the position can be filled by redundancy this is the most important. Obviously, there may be positions that are super specific, for example, HVAC, that requires a red seal- so something like this might remain posted if there is no one available to fit the position. 

The entire ESC will be looking at this information not just HR. We encourage you to connect your LinkedIn to your Outlook card. Feel free to include the local in the email when you send your resume if you want to ensure we get it! Be sure to include all the roles you’ve worked in and out of the college. 

No. If you are unwell, take you sick days.

Example: the Employment Stability Committee  goes through the process, afterwards you receive a notice, are told your position is redundant, and you can’t be placed elsewhere so are laid off.  At this point, when you have received the layoff letter, is when the 90 days of working and benefits begin. In the event that there is no work for you during those 90 days, you will be paid for that time (or whatever is left of the 90 days). 

Recall is based on seniority date; not months of service in a single position. 

These are both protected leave types. The employee on the leave is protected, but their position is not. They are protected until they come back and then it would be evaluated where you would return--- it could be to a different role.  

The college decides they want to remove any excess in department place they prefer. We cannot share any additional information at this part of the process. But we ensure that we ask questions about why the cut and where that work is going (ie contracting out).

After notification to the union that layoff is coming, the minimum is 14 calendar days from notice before layoffs could potentially be issued. Depending on the conversation and information shared in the Employment Stability Committee Meetings, the college and union could agree to extend the timeline to ensure that due diligence is done on decreasing the impact of layoffs.

No they will have it on record, but it is a good idea to update LinkedIn just in case.

If you are the person being laid off they will wait for you to get back from vacation before notifying.

Yes. 

It depends, but this is a possibility.

It isn’t an immediate removal of these positions, but if a person is on probation and they are selected for layoff they are not entitled for reassignment. Appendix D are temporary contracts, and they do not fall under the collective agreement of the layoff process. Appendix D position contracts can be ended at any time.

Yes! Please connect your LinkedIn profile card to your Teams account in your Teams profile.

No, there is no special consideration for these positions.

This is why we tell members they need to make sure their PDF is correct and that they have performance reviews to discuss PDF; for more support in your individual situation, please reach out to the local.

Yes, you can download the Employment Stability presentation here.