Community Social Services Retention and Portability Memorandum of Agreement

CSSEA and the CSSBA agreed to a Retention and Portability Memorandum of Agreement in effect on January 1, 2016.

The MOA has its genesis at the Innovation and Sustainability Roundtable and was discussed with AS, CLS and GS Panel members and endorsed by the CSSEA Board of Directors. The intent is to provide employers, within the framework of the collective agreements, the additional option to offer an incentive to potential employees that have previous experience working in the social services sector.

The decision to extend the MOA, or not, to a new hire remains strictly with each Employer and is made on an individual employee basis based on the hiring needs of the agency. The goal is to encourage and promote employees, who terminated employment with other employers in our sector, to remain working in the social services sector by having their previous service recognized by the new Employer with respect to placement under the wage grid and vacation entitlement only.

The scope of the MOA is rather modest and CSSEA will be evaluating its impact on the sector as part of the CSSEA Annual Survey questionnaire and reporting to the membership and CSSBA starting in 2017.

This MOA is supplementary to the Continuity of Service and Employment Memorandum in Information Appendix D of the collective agreements.

Applicability

Employer participation is strictly voluntary.

An employee is eligible when employment is terminated with the previous CSSEA-member Employer within 12 months of application with the other CSSEA-member employer.

To participate in the program, the candidate must note in their letter of hire that the portability clause applies.

Once hired and upon successful completion of the probationary period in accordance with Article 11.8 – Probation, the employee will be credited with the following portable benefits:

1. Article 18.1 – Annual Vacation Entitlement
The employee’s continuous service date will be adjusted to reflect her service with her previous Employer for the purpose of vacation entitlement.

2. Appendix A – Wage Grid
If the employee is hired in the same or similar classification, as determined by JJEP, then the employee will be placed in the appropriate classification step commensurate with her accumulated hours worked in that classification with the previous CSSEA-member Employer.

Article 26.12 - Salary Rate Upon Employment and Appendix A, Section B – Wage Protection are not applicable.

This MOA does not affect an Employer’s right to hire non-CSSEA member candidates in accordance with Article 26.12 - Salary Rate Upon Employment.

If you have any questions, please contact your HRLR Consultant.