Leaves
Types of Leave
There are a number of leaves covered under the Collective Agreement. These are:
- Study Leave
- Professional Development Leave (Academic Administrators)
- Administrative Leave
- Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave
- Leave Without Salary
- Sick Leave
- Long-Term Disability
- Special Leave
- Compassionate Care Leave
- Compassionate Leave Without Salary
- Leave for Jury and Witness Duty
- Political Leave
Study Leave
The guidelines for study leave are in the Collective Agreement. Applications for study leave are on the VPAC site. Applications for study leave are due once a year, generally the first week of October, regardless of which term you intend to take the leave in.
Sick Leave
The University provides up to six months of paid leave if you are unable to work due to illness or disability. After six months, you become eligible for Long-Term Disability (LTD). Our Membership Services Office can assist you in working with Human Resources and the insurer. To prevent gaps in coverage, the insurer recommends submitting an application for LTD three months before your sick leave expires, regardless of whether you expect to need LTD.
Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave
The guidelines for Maternity and Parental Leave are contained in the Collective Agreement. Benefits include 17 consecutive weeks maternity leave for the birth mother. The leave can commence up to 11 weeks before the expected birth date, but no later than the actual birth date.
During the first two weeks of leave, the University will pay you a supplementary top-up benefit equal to 95% of your regular salary, providing you have made application for EI maternity benefits. Further unpaid maternity leave of up to six consecutive weeks will be granted where the birth mother is unable to return to work for reasons related to the birth, as certified by a qualified medical practitioner.
The birth mother is entitled to 35 consecutive weeks parental leave of absence from the University beginning immediately after the end of the maternity leave. During the first 18 weeks of parental leave, the University will pay the birth mother a supplementary top-up benefit equal to 95% of her regular salary, less any amount of EI parental benefits for which she is eligible. The remaining 17 weeks of parental leave are without pay from the University, however, the birth mother may be eligible for continued Employment Insurance parental benefits during this period.
In special cases where a child has a physical, psychological or emotional condition certified by a qualified medical practitioner and requires an additional period of parental care, parental leave without pay may be provided for up to five additional weeks beginning immediately after the end of the parental leave.
Recent changes in the federal act have extended the period of time during which parents are eligible to collect EI parental benefits to 18 months. If you intend to take a longer leave through these new provisions in the federal act, please contact the Membership Services Office for further information about how to access the benefits available under the Collective Agreement.
Returning to Work After a Leave
You are not responsible for work missed during a leave. If you leave or return in the middle of a teaching term, the Membership Services Office can help negotiate work expectations during the portions of the term when you are at work. You are also not expected to prepare course material during the leave in anticipation of teaching obligations when you return.
Evaluations After a Leave
Salary
Where a Faculty Member has been on leave, except leave without salary, for more than one teaching term during the period of review, the review period for purposes of evaluating teaching performance and other contributions is extended by one year.
Where a Librarian has been on sick leave, long-term disability, maternity, parental, or adoption leave, compassionate leave, compassionate leave without salary, or special leave for a period of four months or more, the period of review for awarding a CPI and MIs is extended by one year.
Where a Member has been on leave without salary, the period of review for awarding a CPI and MIs will not be adjusted and will be the same as provided in the Collective Agreement.
Reappointment and Tenure
The date by which a Faculty Member must be considered for reappointment or tenure, or a Librarian for a confirmed regular appointment, is automatically deferred for one year if, in any of the years preceding the deadline or in the year in which the case must be considered, the Member has been granted maternity, parental or adoption leave, special leave, sick leave or long-term disability or any combination thereof for 15 weeks or more.
If the total number of weeks for which you have been granted maternity, parental, or adoption leave, special leave, sick leave or LTD or any combination thereof exceeds 52 weeks then the total deferral will be: two years for more than 52 and up to 104 weeks; three years for more than 104 and up to 156 weeks; and four years for more than 156 weeks.
The guidelines for stopping the clock are contained in the Collective Agreement.