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Article 2 : definition of terms

2.1 Employer: means the University of Ottawa.

2.2 The University: means the Employer - the University of Ottawa.

2.3 Agreement: means this Collective Agreement.

2.4 Liaison officer: means the Director Labour Relations, Principal Negotiator or their delegates, who alone are empowered to deal with any problems relating to labour relations, discussions or negotiations and agreements with the Bargaining Unit or the Union.

2.5 Fiscal year: means the period corresponding to the Employer's fiscal year, i.e. from May 1 of the current year to April 30 of the subsequent year.

2.6 The parties: means the University, the Union and the Bargaining Unit.

2.7 Personnel file: An employee's official file is that retained at the Human Resources Service. It is agreed that administrative units may retain administrative documents and that any such documents kept elsewhere or in any other manner are not considered part of the official file.

2.8 Union: means the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF).

2.9 Bargaining Unit: means all members of the University of Ottawa support staff for which the OSSTF holds bargaining rights as set out in accreditation certificate number 3629-06-R, represented by the Support Staff University of Ottawa (SSUO).

2.10 Employee: means any person included in the Bargaining Unit and governed by the Agreement.

2.11 Union representative: means a person who is part of the Bargaining Unit's executive committee or an outside representative who works for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF).

2.12 Immediate supervisor: means the line supervisor who holds a position at a rank higher than that of an employee and to whom an employee reports. This person is the first level of authority for an employee. When an employee has both a functional line supervisor and an administrative line supervisor, the immediate supervisor is the administrative line supervisor. The title of the latter's position will be identified in the job description.

2.13 Continuous service: means a period of service without more than thirteen (13) weeks of uninterrupted work between one or more consecutive positions/employment contracts.

2.14 Promotion: means a permanent appointment of an employee from one regular position to another for which the maximum salary scale is higher proportional to the hours of work associated with the position.

2.15 Transfer: means the permanent appointment of an employee from one regular position to another regular position for which the maximum salary scale is equal proportional to the hours of work associated with the position.

2.16 Demotion: means the permanent appointment of an employee from one regular position to another regular position for which the maximum salary scale is lower proportional to the hours of work associated with the position.

Definitions of Various Types of Employee Status

2.17 Regular employee: means any employee who holds a regular indeterminate position that is part of the Bargaining Unit and for which the number of hours of work specified in his job description is thirty-five (35), thirty-six-and-a-quarter (36.25) or forty (40) hours a week, depending on the employment group.

2.18 Part-time regular employee: means any employee who holds a regular indeterminate position that is part of the Bargaining Unit and for which the number of hours of work per week as specified in the job description is more than twenty-four (24) hours per week but less than thirty-five (35) hours per week. The number of hours worked in similar positions in the same unit is used as the benchmark in determining the percentage of hours worked in comparison with a full-time position; if no similar positions exist, the number of hours shall be a percentage of a thirty-five (35) hour work week.

2.19 Regular seasonal employee: means any employee who holds a regular indeterminate position that is part of the Bargaining Unit and that regularly entails a period of employment of less than twelve (12) months per year because of the type of duties or the type of clients served. Such employees generally work between August and June of each year, depending on operational requirements, as set out in the job description. The percentage of full-time hours for the position shall be determined in relation to the number of months, weeks and days worked per year.

A regular seasonal employee receives the benefits of the Agreement during his time of employment but is laid off when his annual period of employment expires. During his lay-off period the employee is entitled to participate in the pension plan and the group insurance plan, subject to conditions established at the University for leave without pay.

2.20 Part-time regular seasonal employee: means any employee who holds a regular indeterminate position that is part of the Bargaining Unit and for which the number of hours of work per week as specified in the job description is more than twenty-four (24) hours per week but less than thirty-five (35) hours per week. The position also entails an employment period of less than twelve (12) months per year because of the type of duties or the type of clients served. These employees generally work between August and June of each year, depending on operational requirements, as set out in the job description. The percentage of full-time hours for the position is determined in relation to a combination of a) the hours of work per week and b) the number of months, weeks and days worked per year in similar positions in the same unit; if no similar positions exist, the number of hours shall be a percentage of a thirty-five (35) hour work week for twelve (12) months per year.

A regular seasonal employee receives the benefits of the Agreement during his time of employment but is laid off when his annual period of employment expires. During his lay-off period the employee is entitled to participate in the pension plan and the group insurance plan, subject to conditions established at the University for leave without pay.

2.21 Term employee, full-time: means any employee who has accrued more than twelve (12) months of continuous service at the University and who is performing an employment contract of thirty-five (35), thirty-six-and-a-quarter (36.25) or forty (40) hours per week, depending on the employment group, and whose salary is paid from the operating fund.

2.22 Term employee, part-time: means any employee who has accrued more than twelve (12) months of continuous service at the University and who is performing an employment contract of more than twenty-four (24) hours but less than thirty-five (35) hours per week, depending on the employment group. The number of hours worked in similar positions in the same unit is used as the benchmark in determining the percentage of hours worked in comparison with a full-time position; if no similar positions exist, the number of hours shall be a percentage of a thirty-five (35) hour work week. The salary is paid from the operating fund.

2.23 Term employees, special projects: means any employee who has accrued more than twelve (12) months of continuous service at the University and who is performing an employment contract in connection with a special project for a maximum of three (3) years and whose salary is paid from the operating fund.

2.24 Essential position: The University must ensure that students, its employees and the university community have access to essential services in the event of a strike and when the University is closed because of an emergency. The following are deemed to be essential services: services, facilities or activities of the University that are or will be necessary to the safety and security of the public and the university community as a whole or a portion thereof. In other words, there must be reasonable grounds to recognize the probability or even the possibility that human or animal life or public security would be in jeopardy if a work stoppage were to interrupt the duties of the employees concerned. The parties agree on the list of positions determined essential and they will be identified in an Appendix to the Agreement.

2.25 Regular position: Substantive position of an employee who holds the status of regular employee.

2.26 Vacant regular position: Regular position without an incumbent or a newly created regular position.

2.27 Temporary assignment: Assignment of a regular employee to a term position during which the employee retains his substantive position.

2.28 Spouse: For the purposes of the Agreement, and when no government regulation or statute defines otherwise, a person to whom an employee is married or, irrespective of the employee's marital status, a person with whom an employee has cohabited for at least a year in a relationship that resembles marriage or, if for less than a year, with whom an employee has become the natural or adoptive parent of a child, and whose name appears in the University's files as the employee's spouse.

2.29 Dependant: A person who:

  • is not married,
  • is a natural child, a stepson or stepdaughter, a child who has been legally adopted or a child in the employee's or the employee's spouse's foster home,and who is less than 21 years of age or, if attending a certified educational institution full time and is supported by the employee, is less than 27 years of age.
  • A newborn starts to enjoy protection at birth, provided the birth has been reported to the Human Resources Service.
  • A child who has a mental or physical disability and who was covered up to the maximum age continues to enjoy protection after that age provided that, once the child has reached the maximum age, and after that age, the child is incapable of holding employment that would enable the child to be self-supportive and that is fully dependent on the employee. In such circumstances, the child's medical history may be requested. The employee is responsible for providing any initial and subsequent medical information that might be required for coverage to be maintained.