STAFF REDUCTIONS FAQ

The College will notify the Union Local President and the College Employment Stability Committee (CESC) of the planned staff reduction, including which courses, programs, or services will be affected.

The CESC will meet to discuss the circumstances, employees affected, and potential alternative assignments.

The CESC can make recommendations to the College President and Union Local President.

If the college proceeds with layoffs, it will provide a written notice of at least 90 calendar days to the employees being laid off. The college will meet with the employee, if requested, to discuss the reasons for their selection.

The agreement outlines a series of steps for placement and displacement based on competence, skill, experience, and seniority. These steps include:

• Reassignment to a vacant full-time position.
• Displacement of another full-time employee in the same classification with lesser seniority.
• Reassignment to a position by combining partial-load and/or part-time assignments.
• Displacement of a sessional employee (with more than 90 days remaining on their term).
• Displacement of a part-time employee.

The employee may waive their right to certain placement options in writing.

If placed in a partial-load, sessional, or part-time assignment, the employee retains their current salary and benefits for the assignment’s duration.

If no full-time position is available after these assignments, the employee will be laid off without further notice.

The College considers an employee’s educational, teaching, practical, research, or other experience, provided the College has been made aware of it.

The CESC’s functions include:

• Addressing items described in articles 27.05, 28 and 29.
• Recommending long-term and short-term strategies to enhance employment stability.
• Administering and making decisions regarding the Joint Employment Stability Reserve Fund (JESRF).

The CESC is composed of four members, with two appointed by the College and two by the Union Local.

The JESRF is used to facilitate employment stability strategies. The college contributes annually to the JESRF. The CESC administers the JESRF.

The College will allow the employee to take one program or course for a nominal tuition fee.

The College will offer the employee a sessional appointment if one is available, provided that the former employee has the competence, skill, and experience to fulfill the requirements of the sessional position concerned.

The College will consider additional means of support such as career counselling and job search assistance.

Before hiring full-time employees, individuals who have been laid off will be recalled to their former or another full-time position, provided they have the necessary competence, skill, and experience.

The recall entitlement applies for two years from the date of layoff.

If more than one individual is entitled to recall, the individual with greater seniority will be recalled.

A severance pay plan on layoff provides for severance payment to full-time employees with two or more full years of continuous service. The employee must give the College written election of severance within 120 calendar days after termination of the notice period and waives all recall rights under the Agreement. Severance payment shall be in accordance with a scale based on the number of full years of continuous service with the College as at the date of lay-off based on the employee’s annual base salary rate as of that date.

Yes, when a College plans to reduce the number of full-time regular employees who have completed the probationary period by lay-off of five percent or 20 employees whichever is less, a specific process applies prior to the procedures in 27.05 (vii) and 27.06 A.

During a 30-day period, the CESC can present recommendations or advice on measures to deal with the layoff. These may include budgetary measures, utilization of retirement or leaves, setting priorities, and adjusting faculty assignments or academic programs. The College cannot proceed with its plan until the 30-day period expires or the CESC’s recommendations are received.

“Bumping” refers to the process where a full-time faculty member who is laid off can displace another employee, provided they have more seniority and are qualified for the position. This process is formally referred to as reassignment to displace another employee in Article 27.06 A of the collective agreement.

The employee doing the bumping must have the skills, experience, and education to support the bump.

The bumping process involves several steps, where a laid-off full-time faculty member can displace other employees in the following order, provided they have more seniority and are qualified for the position:

• Another full-time faculty member in the same classification (instructor, professor, counsellor, or librarian).
• A full-time faculty member in another classification.
• Two partial-load faculty members.
• One partial-load faculty member and one or more part-time faculty members.
• One partial-load faculty member while engaging in retraining activities.
• A sessional faculty member (who has more than 90 days remaining on their term).
• A part-time faculty member.

To be qualified, the displacing employee needs to have the competence, skill, and experience to fulfill the requirements of the position concerned. The college will consider an employee’s educational, teaching, practical, research, or other experience, of which the College has been made aware.

The full-time faculty member retains their current salary and benefits for the duration of the partial-load, sessional, or part-time assignment.

Upon completion of the assignment, the faculty member will be reassigned to a vacant full-time position if they are qualified.

If no full-time position is available at the end of the assignment, the faculty member will be laid off without further notice.

Yes, a full-time employee can waive in writing the right to placement options.

Severance pay is available to full-time employees with two or more full years of continuous service.

To receive severance pay, the employee must give the College written election of severance within 120 calendar days after the termination of the notice period.

The employee must waive all recall rights under the Agreement.

Severance payment is based on the number of full years of continuous service with the College at the date of layoff and the employee’s annual base salary rate as of that date, as outlined in Article 14.

The severance pay is a percentage of the employee’s annual base salary, increasing with years of service, up to a maximum of 50% after 23 years. For example, two years of service is 9% of the annual base salary.

No. They are turning down an opportunity to remain employed.

Yes, it is possible to be hired back in the future if you apply for a job posting. You will have to undergo whatever hiring practices are in place at that time. However, this is different than being on the call-back list.  You cannot be on the call-back list and accept severance. It is one or the other.

Yes, to receive severance pay, the employee must waive all recall rights under the Agreement.

Members who qualify for severance have the option of taking the severance payout or being placed on a call back list.