Spectrum Society for Community Living

Wage Equity Update #11

September 27, 2000

Payment Process Confirmed

Since the last Wage Equity Update, the government has changed the payment process for the wage increases for non-union employees.   Initially, we expected payment for the February 1st and April 1st compensation increases in September, as outlined in the letter from PSEC on August 9th.  On August 31st, the Ministry for Children and Families announced that they would be providing the contract increases for February 1st and October 1st, (both 5% wage increases) but that the April 1st increase (5% for benefits) would be funded after the agency meets with a consultant to review our current benefits and provide cost comparisons to the Health Benefit Trust.  This process looks set to take approximately 3 months to complete.

Secondly, we have not received any retroactive funding yet.  The Ministry for Children and Families has paid about 50 agencies to date, but still has 350 agencies to go.  We apologize for the delay in processing the retroactive wage payments, but cannot afford to pay out money we have not yet received.   Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We increased wages and modified benefits to reflect the 5% on February 1st and the 5% on April 1st, and provided these increases on August 9th, 2000.  The retroactive wage payments will be based on each employee's gross wages for the payroll between February 9th and August 8th.   Your retro pay will be based on a percentage of the funding we receive retroactively from the government.   It appears this funding is now going to arrive in at least 2 lump sums, (early October for the Feb 1 retro and January for the April 1 retro) causing 2 or more retro wage payments.  While this makes for more paperwork, we are presuming that all employees would prefer to receive some retro payments immediately, and will enjoy future retro payments when they arrive.

Our ongoing commitment is to ensuring our wages and benefits will continue to be competitive with all other community support workers in Vancouver. Thank you for your support and patience as we work to ensure the funding is provided.

If you have any questions or concerns, please write to Ernie or talk to your Policy Representative.