VACATION SELECTION AGREEMENT – LOA #3
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We are please to advise the membership that the parties have entered into renewed Memorandum of Agreement pursuant to the provisions of Letter of Agreement #3, which provides for vacation ratios and equitable opportunities based on seniority, timing of vacation selection, timing of vacation payments, allocation of prime vacation time and vacation block selection.
In summary and further to the provisions of Article 18, the parties have agreed:
• October 1st each year the Company will post a bulletin listing employees in order of classification seniority and showing each employee’s total vacation entitlement for the upcoming vacation year.
• The Company and the Union shall establish the vacation ratios and allocate vacation entitlement for each week of the calendar year by mutual agreement for each classification, identified in Article 9.02. The parties shall take into consideration the total number of employees, the total combined vacation entitlement of all employees as at December 31st of the previous year and the historical utilization of vacation entitlement for each classification to establish a fixed flat line ration for prime and non-prime periods.
• The agreed vacation ratios in each site will be posted by October 15th.
• A vacation week is defined in accordance with Article 17.02.
• Employees will select vacation in classification seniority order in each selection round by a
means established by the Union, no later than December 15th of each year.
• Employees absent during the vacation bid will advise their selections in writing prior to their absence.
• Employees who fail to select their vacation preferences will be allocated vacation dates by the Company from those that are available, limited to the minimum two (2) weeks outlined in Clause 18.03 (b) on October 1st of the applicable vacation year.
• Bid vacation periods will not be altered after approval without local agreement between the Company and the Union.
• The dates for prime vacation periods will be specified each year by agreement between the Company and the Union, as follows: 2 weeks – Spring Break, 11 weeks – July/August, 3 weeks – End of December.
• Vacation bid in each selection round prior to December 31st may be cancelled and/or changed one (1) time during the vacation year.
• A minimum of thirty (30) days written notice is required to cancel/amend vacation bid in the prime vacation periods and a minimum of fourteen (14) days written notice for all other vacation periods.
• Vacation bid on an ad-hoc basis during the vacation year it is being taken cannot be cancelled and/or changed.
• Notwithstanding the above cancellation provisions, the provisions of Clause 18.05 of the Collective Agreement shall apply in the event an employee is unable to commence or complete his/her scheduled vacation period due to injury or illness, including Worker’s Compensation.
• Vacated prime vacation periods will be posted for seven (7) calendar days and awarded on the basis of classification seniority.
• Following the initial vacation bid, all un-bid vacant vacation period (incl. Un-bid posted prime vacation periods) shall be awarded on a first come first serve basis with a minimum of seven (7) calendar days written notice. The Company agrees to maintain a weekly posting of available un-bid vacation weeks in a location accessible to all employees.
• Un-bid vacation entitlement must be taken prior to utilizing Personal Leaves of Absence, except Leaves for medical reasons or Leaves prescribed in Article 14 and 16.
Please be guided accordingly.
In Solidarity,
Tania Canniff, General Chairperson
Transportation District 140, IAMAW