Q1: What is the new Central Participating Hospitals HPD Pay Equity Plan?
Answer: OPSEU/SEFPO and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) have been engaged in active negotiations on pay equity for the last decade, with the goal to reach a pay equity plan for all HPD positions currently covered by HPD central bargaining.
In 2020, the parties reached an impasse and the Union submitted an application to the Pay Equity Commission in October 2020 to resolve the outstanding matters.
In November 2022, the union and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) came to an agreement over male comparators in disputed pay bands, avoiding a lengthy Pay Equity Tribunal process.
The two parties issued a joint announcement on November 9, 2022 that an agreement has been reached for a pay equity plan, which affects over 200 job classifications under the HPD central bargaining unit.
Q2: How will I know if I will be getting a Pay Equity increase retroactively or if I will receive a pay equity adjustment going forward for my job and how will I know?
Answer: The Pay Equity Plan will be posted by April 1, 2023 showing the job classes owed a Pay Equity increase. For the majority of job classes listed there will be a go forward payment and a retroactive payment.
The retroactive pay adjustments are still being calculated and they will be paid out no later than December 31, 2023. Before this time another email/letter will go out to all the job classes from their representative hospitals to all those employees who have worked in positions that are eligible for a retroactive pay adjustment.
There are additional job classes that will receive a go forward Pay Equity adjustment due to a new higher male comparator rate these go forward adjustments will be effective April 1, 2023.
All employees who have worked in positions that are eligible for a pay equity adjustment will receive an email and/or letter from their representative hospitals by no later than March 31st 2023 for the go forward pay adjustments.
Q3: What is the retroactive period of time and the go forward period of time?
Answer: The retroactive period of time OPSEU/SEFPO and the OHA have agreed to is April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2023. If you are in a job class that is owed a Pay Equity adjustment in the plan the hours worked in this time period are currently being calculated by your representative hospital. The go forward period of time begins April 1, 2023.
Q4: How was this new Pay Equity Plan negotiated? How were the scores determined that resulted in some job classes receiving an increase?
Answer: The Central HPD Pay Equity Plan was a joint process with a representative group of OPSEU/SEFPO HPD members and representative group from the OHA that formed a joint team. This joint team created a Gender Neutral Comparison System (GNCS) and a Job Information Questionnaire (JIQ) specific to the hospital sector. This questionnaire was the one filled out by many of you. The Joint team using the GNCS scored the JIQ’s, assigned final values to all job classes and established male comparators and Pay Equity compliant rates for each band.
Q5: What if my hospital did not participate in the Central bargaining process for the entire retroactive pay period, do I still get a pay equity adjustment?
Answer: If your hospital was not part of central bargaining process for the entire retroactive period of time April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2023 you will be owed an adjustment on the hours worked while your hospital was part of the central bargaining process.
For example if your hospital joined the central bargaining process in 2012, the retroactive pay equity liability owing to you would go back to 2012 and would include all time your unit/hospital was included in the central bargaining process.
Q6: Will the Central bargaining process Bill 124 reopener negotiations affect the Pay Equity Plan and any increases to job classes?
Answer: Pay Equity adjustments would have to be applied to any reopener wage increase(s). The increases would be calculated retroactively to when any GWI increase took place.
Q7: What happens if my position is owed a Pay Equity adjustment and I do not receive it from my hospital?
Answer: Please contact the OPSEU/SEFPO Pay Equity department will look into the matter so it can be resolved. Pay Equity Negotiator Alex Dell can be reached at adell@opseu.org
Please include the following information with your e-mail:
- nature of the complaint
- position/classification
- employer name
Q8: If someone has retired or left the employment of the hospital during the retroactive time period are they still entitled to an increase and how will the find out?
Answer: Anyone that was in a job class that is due a retroactive Pay Equity adjusted increase is entitled to the increase for all hours worked in the time period from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2023. The representative hospital they worked for will be responsible for informing the former employee. The employer can enlist the help of the Union if they have trouble being able to contact/locate any former employee. These retroactive payments will be paid out no later than March 31, 2024.
In Solidarity,
Your Central HPD Pay Equity team:
Sandi Blancher
Betty Palmieri
Susan Head
Peggy Burke
Bryan Mitchell
Alex Dell (Pay Equity Negotiator)