April 01, 2025

April: Fifth Update

Dear Members, 

Your bargaining team met with Yukon Government management this past week, March 24-28, and engaged in constructive bargaining to begin wrapping up negotiations for our non-monetary demands. 

We advanced the discussion on Safety and Health, working conditions and presumptive coverage for occupational cancers for Wildland Firefighters, and improved conditions for Hershel Island parks staff. 

We finally received long-awaited presentations on both the new Conflict Management Services (the office formerly known as RWO) and the Investigations Office, and most notably, a progress update on the Health Authority transition. 

We have a lot to tell you about the Health Authority: 

As a reminder, the Health Authority came from a comprehensive audit of the Yukon’s health system and resulted in a final report, Putting People First. This report concluded with 76 recommendations to improve healthcare. These recommendations can be found by following this link. 

We agree with these goals, but as your advocates, we are working to ensure that this is not done at your expense, nor at the expense of the Yukoners who need the full range of services you provide. You’ve sacrificed enough over the past five years. 

Between what we already knew and what we learned this week, here’s what we can confirm: 

1. a) A transitional board should be in place by this fall.
2. b) YG currently envisions “going live” in 2028, but the transition will be staged, and members may be in place before then.
3. c) We are currently in “Phase 1, Mapping.” A $563,680 contract has been awarded to a for-profit private management consultant in Alberta (“Health Innovations Group”) for mapping. This is an audit of current programs, services, providers, gaps, and duplications, and will be used to determine which positions, which positions will go, and which positions will no longer be needed at either workplace. 
4. d) Phase 2 of this process will involve public consultations and is tentatively scheduled for this autumn.
5. e) Most notably, we know that if you go to the new Health Authority, you will have your public service employment terminated. Union members will have a safeguarded new position with the new corporation.
6. f) We know that that means employees who will be moved over cannot maintain their present pension plans without a legislative change or a bargained agreement.

We know the terms of employment for the new corporation cannot be negotiated yet, because there is no legal entity to bargain with.  

There is still a lot that we don’t know, but there is a lot we can do. Below is a general outline of our priorities. 

What are our priorities? 

There will have to be three distinct and separate sets of negotiations. For YG members who remain, underway now, for YG members going to the Health Authority, and, for all hospital members going to the Health Authority.  

It is complicated, but we believe that given what is at stake and for greater certainty, negotiations with the new Health Authority can and should happen from the first day the new corporation is established, which could be as early as this autumn.  

We have scheduled our next bargaining dates for April 14-17 and June 9-11. At that time, we hope to be able to table our proposal on the Health Authority transition for YG employees and finish off most of the outstanding non-monetary items before proceeding to monetary negotiations. 

Stay tuned for issue-specific membership information sessions this spring. 

In solidarity with your bargaining team, 

Amie Angel, Laurel Cole, Rosa Barraco, Tammi Johnson, Ian MacDonald, Erik Miller, Matt Murphy, Ted Klassen & Erna Post    

Questions? Drop us a line at [email protected] 

February 19, 2025

February: Fourth Update

During the week of February 3-7 your bargaining team met with Yukon Government in Whitehorse. While there were meaningful discussions on a number of bargaining items, we were unable to agree with the Employer team on proposals we had hoped to finalize this session.

YG presentations to the Union team included:

• An expanded review of Emergency Medical Services, specifically working conditions and hours of work;
• The loss of YG jobs at SART (Sexual Assault Response Team)

The scheduled Conflict Management Services (formerly known as the Respectful Workplace Office) presentation was postponed to the March set of dates.

YG provided a series of counter proposals to earlier Union proposals on:

• Statement of Duties, Classification and Reclassification (including a follow-up question and answer session);
• Telework;
• Health and Safety.

The Union team also introduced new proposals as follows:  

• Improvements to working conditions and hours of work for our members who are seasonal employees at Hershel Island;
• Wildland Fire – new and additional scheduling provisions covering days of rest, travel and hours of work;
• Union Leave – we proposed an upon request reimbursed Union leave for local presidents of Y010 and Y017 – the same provisions that are currently in place for the YEU President and Vice-Presidents.

For the March session at the bargaining table, we look forward to a long-awaited presentation on the Health Authority by the Deputy Minister of H&SS.

Let us know what questions you’d like us to ask on your behalf: [email protected] 

Additional dates have been agreed to for March 24-28 and April 14-17.  

Attached you will find a copy of the new proposals from this week. Bolded words mean additions or replacements to the current Collective Agreement and Strikethroughs mean deletions to the existing Collective Agreement.

In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Team
Erik, Rosa, Matt, Amie, Ian, Laurel, Tammi, Ted, Erna  

15.18 Park Rangers Herschel Island

Between the months of April 1 through to September 30^th inclusive, employees will work a minimum of 700 hours. The hours of work will be scheduled in the following manner:  

(1)  Hours of work for Park Rangers will be scheduled so that over a period of twenty-eight (28) consecutive calendar days, the employee shall:

       i. work an average of 40 37½ hours per week, Monday through Sunday; and

       ii. work an average of 8 7½ hours per day, exclusive inclusive of a paid meal period

(2)  Hours of work authorized in excess of one hundred and sixty (160) fifty (150) and hours in the twenty-eight (28) calendar day period will be compensated at the rate of time and one-half (1½T).                             Designated holidays which fall within the twenty-eight (28) calendar day period shall be subtracted from the total of one hundred and sixty (160) fifty (150)

(3)  During each twenty-eight (28) consecutive calendar day period, the Park Ranger will be scheduled to be on Herschel Island for fifteen (15) consecutive days, including the days of travel to and from                       Herschel Island, and thirteen (13) consecutive days off of Herschel

(4)  For each fifteen (15) consecutive day period referred to in 15.18 (3) above, Park Rangers will be credited with ten (10) hours of compensatory time, to be either paid out or used at    the end of the season at the employee’s election.

(5)  Notwithstanding section 8 (6) (ii) of the travel directive, the following will apply:

        (i)  Park Rangers will be deemed to be on full travel status including paid meals and per diems for the fifteen consecutive days referred to in 15.18 (3).  

        (ii) Park Rangers will receive a travel stipend of one thousand dollars ($1,000) one-half payable upon hire at the beginning of the season and one-half payable at the end of the season  upon completion. 

NEW

Mandatory Training and Education

The Employer and the Union recognize the critical importance of regular access to the mandatory training required to maintain and enhance professional standards of employees.  The parties have further identified the need to prioritize mandatory training in order to ensure timely and equitable access to such training notwithstanding employee work schedules.

For the purpose of this article, mandatory training means training for all employees  including:
   i.   First Nations 101; 
   ii.  position specific training as determined by the Employer;
   iii. regulatory, regulatory certifications,  health and safety; 
   iv. education/training essential to maintaining a professional designation or certification required by the licensing body and necessary to the employee’s position.

Leave of absence without loss of pay, and all benefits shall be granted to employees whenever the employee takes mandatory courses and/or examinations.

For a day of rest or a designated paid holiday, time spent in mandatory training shall be considered time worked and shall be paid at the applicable overtime rates. The cost of the course and/or any examination fee and reasonable expenses incurred in taking the course and/or examination shall be paid by the Employer.

APPENDIX G

2. Hours of Work – Remove from Appendix G and place the following in Article 15 Hours of Work

Wildland Fire Hours of Work

The hours of work will apply to regular and seasonal positions primarily involved in field fire suppression activities in the Department of Community Services.

Effective April 1, 2025 and pursuant to Article 15.07 “Averaging Hours Arrangements”, the following provisions will apply:

Normally, from October 1st through March 31st inclusive, regular employees shall work eight hours per day, exclusive of a meal period, Monday to Friday.

From April 1st to September 30th inclusive, regular and seasonal Fire Suppression Employees will be in an averaging of hours work arrangement so that, over a period of fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days, the employees shall work an average of eight (8) hours per day, exclusive inclusive of a meal period, Monday through Sunday.

Fire Suppression Employees include the following positions: Crew Member, Crew Leader, Mixmaster, Storesperson-Zone, and Fire Lookout Observer and shall be included under Appendix “A” of the Collective Agreement.

Shift Schedule April 1^st to September 30th 

15.xx    The schedule for all Fire Suppression Employees working in extended duty operations will be established in work periods of nineteen (19) consecutive days as follows:

(i) Each nineteen-day period will be comprised of a maximum of fourteen (14) duty days that normally may be up to fourteen (14) hours in duration. Only by mutual agreement will the daily hours of  work be extended beyond fourteen (14) hours in a twenty-four (24) hour period.
(ii) Hours of rest will be applied pursuant to Article 15.06 (3).
(iii) At least four days of rest in each two-week period will be identified, in intervals of not less than two (2) consecutive days and, in the case of a changeover from duty operations to home base operations there will be a mandatory minimum of three (3) paid days of rest.
(iv) The maximum number of consecutive duty tours worked will be three (3) after which employees will be required to return to home base for a mandatory three (3) days rest period.
(v) The number of consecutive shift days of work shall be no more than 7 days.
(vi) Travel from duty operations (fire location) to home base (Dawson, Mayo, Watson, Carmacks, Village of Haines Junction, Whitehorse) will be treated as hours worked and will not be counted as days of rest.

Other Fire Management Positions

(i) Hours of work for regular and seasonal overhead and administrative fire management positions in the Department of Community Services may be scheduled so that, over a period of fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days between April 1st and August 31st inclusive, the employees shall work an average of seven and one-half (7.5) hours per day, exclusive of a meal period, Monday through Sunday.

(ii) The schedule will identify at least four days of rest in each two-week period, in intervals of not less than two (2) consecutive days.

(iii) From September 1st through March 31st inclusive, employees shall work seven and one-half (7.5) hours per day, exclusive of a meal period, Monday to Friday.

(iv) For clarity, overhead and administrative fire management positions are: Regional Protection Manager , Regional Protection Officer , Air Operations Supervisor , Air Attack/Fire Management Officer , Storesperson-Region , Safety, Training and Standards Officer, Warehouse Supervisor, Logistics Coordinator,

Regional Finance and Administration Assistant, Manager, Wildfire and Emergency Operations, Wildfire Risk Management Specialist, Communications Officer, Duty Room Supervisor, Duty Room Clerk, Planning and Science Supervisor, Chief Meteorologist and Meteorologist.

A. (i) Changing the work schedule from the averaging to the 5/2 or from the 5/2 to the averaging will be subject to Article 15.03 “normal work schedule” that is seven (7) days notice will be given or overtime will be paid on the first day or shift worked on the new schedule.

(ii) Hours of work scheduled during low alert periods will be on a 5 on 2 off basis between 0800 to 1900 hours.

(iii) Notwithstanding C (i). seventy-two (72) hours notice will be given to cover emergent operational needs during higher alert periods if the averaging schedule is varied. That is 72 hours notice will be given or overtime will be paid on the first day or shift worked on the new schedule.

B. Overtime provisions are in accordance with Article 15.07 (13).