HSPBA Classification Update

Over the next month, all HSPBA health authorities will be implementing the new profile-based classification system for health science professionals.

What does this mean?
Though the vast majority of PEA members won’t see any change to their pay, your job’s classification and salary structure will formally change.

Your job’s classification will now be one of the seven profiles of the new classification system: P1, P2A, P2B, or S1 – S4.

Most PEA members have been matched with the P1 Working Professional profile and will not see a change in their pay as part of today’s implementation. This is because the new P1 salary structure was phased in over the past few years and fully implemented on April 1, 2024.

However, some members in classifications above P1 will see their salary structure increase or decrease with today’s pay.

If your salary structure has increased, you are likely entitled to retroactive pay back to April 1, 2024. The employer will pay you this retroactive pay by February 28, 2025.

If your salary structure has decreased – you won’t actually be paid less. That’s because your union insisted on “green-circling”, which means members in this situation will continue to be paid at their previous rate, and receive all general wage increases, for as long as they remain in those positions. The employer was required to notify you before today and in writing if you have been green-circled at your rate on December 6, 2024. If you have been green-circled, we strongly encourage you to read this FAQ on green-circling.

What does my union suggest I do?
We’re encouraging all members to check their paystubs in November and December to ensure that you’ve been transitioned to the correct salary structure.

To check if you’re receiving the correct hourly wage, please refer to the complete wage schedules.

What should I do if something’s wrong?
If you notice that you’re being paid the wrong rate, please notify payroll and ask them to correct it. We suggest that you do this by email so there’s a record of your request. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, please email the PEA for assistance.

If you think that your job has been matched to the wrong classification profile please reach out to the PEA. We will be able to advise you what evidence you need to gather to support your grievance, and assist you in filing a classification grievance.

Our next opportunity to refine and improve the profile-based classifications system will be as part of bargaining our next collective agreement in 2025. Preparations for this round of bargaining have already begun.

Challenges and Concerns
Your union is aware that for some members, and for some specific professions, there have been substantive and serious problems with the transition. Your union takes these concerns very seriously.

The status of these issues varies: some have been resolved at arbitration, some are still being discussed by the union and the employer, and some cannot be resolved until after full implementation in December. There are also bargaining proposals related to these issues that will be tabled as part of negotiations for the next HSPBA collective agreement in 2025.

Here are some of the issues that members and the union are working to resolve:

Concerns with the salary schedule
Your union and the employer were not always able to smoothly negotiate the details of the new salary structures that came with this transition. Where the union and the employer were unable to reach agreement, the disputes were resolved through arbitration.

This includes:

• P2B: Your union took the position that there should be more than one rate for P2B jobs, particularly since they include jobs that were previously classified at four different levels; the arbitrator did not agree. This is why there is only one wage rate for each P2B sub-profile.

• P2B(S): Your union took the position that the P2B(S) sub-profile should be paid at the same rate as the other four P2B sub-profiles; the arbitrator disagreed. This is why the wage rate for the P2B(S) sub-profile is lower than the rate for the other P2B sub-profiles.

• Supervisory FTE Ranges: Your union took the position that there should be more than four FTE ranges for each supervisory/leadership profile, but our argument was not successful at arbitration. This is why there are only four FTE ranges, and why the largest range is so big, applying to members who supervise 25 FTEs as well as those who supervise 125 FTEs.

We are now in a situation where, despite our shared concerns, these are the salary structures that are in place. Our next opportunity to correct these problems is through bargaining as we negotiate our next collective agreement.

Clinical Pharmacists
The new profile-based classification system combines the previous Grade 1 and Grade 2 into a new full-scope classification called P1 Working Professional. This works well for almost all professions, but not pharmacists, because it places both dispensing and clinical pharmacists in the same profile even though their work and training is very different.

Your union believes that a solution can be reached by using the new P2A special procedures/techniques profile. Once the new system is fully implemented in December, the HSPBA will seek to have the specialized work of clinical pharmacists added to the P2A profile. We plan to update pharmacist members about this in December.

Jobs with Multiple Professions
Some members are in jobs that can be filled by members of multiple professions, which has led to confusion about which wage schedule should apply. Your union believes that the highest of the possible salary structures should apply, but discussions with the employer are still ongoing. When discussions conclude, we will notify members.

In the meantime, members in these jobs who feel that they are classified or paid incorrectly should reach out to the PEA for assistance with filing a grievance.

Sam Montgomery & Al Gallupe
PEA Labour Relations Officers