April 1, 2021 2% General Wage Increase and $20M in Low Wage Redress
The following message is important information for all HSA members covered by the Community Social Services Collective Agreement.
CSSEA and CSSBA have agreed on the distribution of the April 1, 2021 Low Wage Redress (LWR), which will take effect on the first full pay period following April 1, 2021. Wage schedules outlining the new hourly wages are available on the HSA website.
LWR increases are meant to reduce the difference in pay between Community Social Services jobs and similar jobs in the Health Sector. The LWR has narrowed the gap significantly for all classifications and grid levels and closed the gap completely for some.
In April 2021, Grid 10 classifications at Step 4 will be 1.0% away from their equivalent classifications in Health, and many Paraprofessional classifications at Step 4 will fully catch up to their equivalent classifications in Health. Some Paraprofessional classifications will be 11.7% away from their equivalent classifications in Health, owing to the recent changes in the Health Sciences classification system.
The agreement provides for the following wage increases:
- All classifications will receive, at minimum, the 2% GWI;
- All JJEP classifications will receive 3.4% LWR + 2% GWI;
- In addition, JJEP classifications in Grid 1 to 6 will receive an additional 2.5% LWR, for a total of 5.9% LWR + 2% GWI;
- Paraprofessional classifications in Grid 13-P, 14-P, and 15-P will receive 2% GWI at the Step 1 rate and 4.96% LWR + 2% GWI at the Step 4 rate. New Step 2 and Step 3 rates are calculated between the Step 1 and Step 4 rates;
- Paraprofessional classifications in Grid 16-P, as well as Licensed Practical Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Nurse, and Speech Language Pathologist, will fully catch up to equivalent classifications in the health sector. The Step 4 rate will match the top rate in the health sector, and the Step 1 rate will receive 2% GWI if it is already higher than the starting rate in the health sector;
- Paraprofessional Grid 17-P will receive 10.16% LWR + 2% GWI at the Step 4 rate, and Grid 18-P, 19-P, and 20-P will receive 10.98% LWR + 2% GWI at the Step 4 rate. They will have received the same total increase (17.7%) over the 3-year term of the collective agreement as Grid 16-P; and
- To maintain adequate pay differential for Layered-Over supervisors, new rates are established for Layered-Over positions of the following classifications: Licensed Practical Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Nurse, and Speech Language Pathologist. A Layered-Over job is a job that supervises another job. For instance, a Layered-Over LPN is a job that supervises an LPN.
The total percentage increases (including 2% GWI) are shown in a table available on the HSA website.