Policy &
Procedures Meeting
April 18, 2=
007
Present: Ernie, Rita (Kathy T), Dave (Gary A), Michell=
e (W
70th), Lanni (Shirlane), Scott (E15t=
h),
Sarah (ABI), Ally (Managers), Lorne (Day Programs), Leanne (Satinder),
Jennie (Candice), Alisen (Linda), Eli (K&J)=
,
Ernie reviewed the history of P&P committee. See introduction in the policy &am= p; procedures manual.
(http://www.spectrumsociety.org/Newsletters/Policies%20and%20= Procedures/Part3.pdf page 6)
Staff and Managers should show appreciation to the sta= ff member who attends the P&P meeting. Sign the timesheet for 4 hours - 3 = for actual meeting time and 1 hour to discuss meeting info with team. Managers should ensure that policy committee report is on team meeting agendas.
Agenda for meeting was developed – people listed issues from their teams that they wanted discussed at the Policy & Procedures committee.
Team meeting budgets:
Food at a meeting creates opportunity for socialization and makes staff happy – builds teams. No written policy right now, but an average expectation of $10 per person for meetings will be shared with managers so teams developed but Managers should think about a $5-$10 per person budget for food.
Bathrooms at the office:
Requested by some office staff that one bathroom be exclusively for staff:
Instead of having one bat= hroom exclusively for staff, the office based programs need to be aware of some people we support’s cleanliness and be ready to clean up afterwards. The bathro= oms get cleaned once every morning by the cleaning person. A possibility for the future might= be to add stalls to one or both bathrooms – sink plus two toilet stalls = 211; would increase capacity. One bathroom locked or limited to staff could increase wait times and accidents= for folks waiting for one bathroom.
3 month probation and benefits:
If a staff’s 3 month probation gets extended whi= le they complete requirements, does their benefit eligibility get extended too= ?
No, Benefits are a given = after 3 months of continuous employment of 20 hours or more per week. SunLife states that eligible employees are enrolled f= or benefits at 3 months. If employment requirements are not fulfilled in the 3 month probation then it becomes a disciplinary issue (suspend a shift) not = one of benefits eligibility. Benefits can be cancelled easily if the person does not pass their extended probation.
*Clarify in P&P manua= l* A draft of a revised policy will be reviewed at an upcoming policy meeting and included in October 2007’s annual policy manual update.
Overnight Shifts:
Pay staff for awake overnight or CSW for time in the m= orning when staff is doing more household and direct care work?
This is a program issue as overnight shift descriptions vary from program to program. Ernie will addre= ss the concerns with teams who have more morning work while being paid asleep overnight.
Results of Wage Survey:
The survey yielded 56 res= ponses. The results are 36 votes for wage increase applied equally all across the b= oard of wages, 16 votes for more of an increase to long-term staff who have hit = the 4500 hour tier, 4 votes for an increase to the lower wage grids.
Link to Draft Wage Grid as distributed to Policy representatives
Two policy members though= t that the asleep overnight rates are low and would like to see an increase of more that 4% to that category. It was discussed that asleep overnights look different at each program. At some programs the asleep overnight person sle= eps the whole time while other asleep overnight people are awake with clients during the night.
If the asleep overnight p= ositions received an increase of 4% plus an additional 50 cents then the other wages would have 10 cents less than the proposed wage budget.
The BCGEU contract wages = for April 1, 2007 are:
0-2000 hours $14.93 /hr
2000-4000 hours $15.81 /h= r
4000-6000 hours $16.68 /h= r
6000 + hours $17.56 /hr
Many unionized agencies a= re having significant recruitment and retention challenges= - Spectrum must have compar= able wages to ensure we do not get into the same situation. Spectrum also has comparable or be= tter benefits and has better sick time provisions than unionized agencies.
Ways to show appreciation= to long-term staff:
The second priority for m= ost staff was additional appreciation for staff who have reached the top wage rate. Currently, staff receive raises to 4,500 = hours and receive increased vacation pay – up to 5 weeks (10% of pay) after five years of service. Sugges= tions for additional recognition included:
-&nb= sp; A new tier of wages? Money would have to come from other grids and at some point, there cannot= be too great a discrepancy between the starting wage and the senior staff doing the same work.
-&nb= sp; An increase to RRSP employer contribution?
-&nb= sp; Go out for lunch with a director or coordina= tor at 10 years of service instead of getting a sweatshirt? Representatives suggested that dir= ectors would gain valuable feedback and staff would feel valued and recognized with this practice.
Policy reps liked the “Increase the RRSP matching rate” as a way to provide something= of value to employees who have shown loyalty to Spectrum. Suggestion was that Spectrum increase their matching contribution to 4% after 6 yea= rs of service.
Wage Increase Timing:
The Board will vote on ho= w the 4% wage increase will be applied at the Board Meeting on Tuesday April 24. The wage increase will start on the April 9 pay period.
Lump Sum payment:
When and how much?
The lump sum is expected = in about 3 months. It is not like the signing bonus for the union. The lump sum is likely only to be around $500. The lump sum payment will be addressed at the June 20th P&P meeting.
Difference in Job descriptions between CSW’s and keyworkers
A ke= yworker only makes 25 cents more than CSW’s and Spectrum recognizes that it isn’t a lot of money. Keyworkers have the responsibility for medical appointments and financial records management for an individual. Being a keyworker= is a chance to be accountable and show leadership in the team. Some keyworker positions have hours added to them for the additional responsibilities (eg. Quarterly reports).
If a keyworker is having an issue with the workload please talk to the manager of the prog= ram.
Universal Precautions:
Be aware of new informati= on on illnesses such as MRSA (superbug). Our policy should be reviewed to i= nclude the most up-to-date information on universal precautions and ensure this information is delivered to all staff.&nbs= p; In particular, there are teams where we know staff will be supporting individuals with communicable diseases and staff could receive additional information in first shift orientations.&n= bsp; This item will also be brought up at the Safety Committee meeting.
Special Projects:
Crisis supports: A one ti= me funded initiative to explore how crises can be better dealt with within CLBC. Burn= aby Association, Mainstream, North Shore Association and Spectrum are all worki= ng to explore how to better serve people in crisis. Crisis calls may come from= a hospital, a family or jail.
Personal Support Networks
Project: A 9 month initiative to explore how friendships are developed and
maintained. The project will work with 8-10 people being supported by Spect=
rum
for 6 months. At the end of the 6 months a booklet will be developed and gi=
ven
to CLBC for distribution. The other areas where is project is happening is =
Next Meeting: June 20, 2007 4pm to 7pm – Office.=