DECISION-MAKING BODIES
Common front and alliances: significant progress

Various aspects of a potential common front with the FTQ, the CSQ and the CSN during upcoming provincial contract talks were discussed by APTS delegates at a General Council meeting on June 8. Your delegates are strongly committed to forming the broadest possible alliance and strengthening our power dynamic in relation to the Treasury Board, and they were unanimous in approving the broad contours of this possible common front. The three big labour federations will be voting on the issue in the near future.

Your delegates also endorsed the decision to sign the solidarity protocol developed with the FSSS-CSN, and they unanimously mandated the APTS executive to keep working on the alliance on sectoral matters. To be continued!

UNION ORGANIZING
Your membership matters to us!

Most of our 65,000 members – including the people telling us about their experience with the APTS in the video below (in French) – have already filled out their membership form. We’d like to thank them for that. If you haven’t yet filled it out, just click on the image at left – it will only take a minute.

PROVINCIAL CONTRACT TALKS
PETITION | Compensation for the rising price of gas

Rising gas prices are having a big impact on the finances of employees who use their personal vehicle to bring care and services to people’s homes or other locations. The APTS and other labour organizations are calling on the government to increase compensation for travel expenses. Sign the petition now and tell your friends to sign it too!

I’m signing

LABOUR RELATIONS
Annual vacation leave and previous years of service

We mentioned in the last Fil@pts that when calculating the amount of your annual vacation leave, you can now be credited with every year of service accumulated in the health and social services system (23.02 NP). Many of you responded with comments and questions. Here’s another piece of information: the APTS also obtained the removal of the one-year limit that used to be part of this clause. That means your previous service with a different health and social services employer can now be recognized, even if you left the system for more than a year between the two jobs.

You should also know that a previous job can be credited even when it involves a different job title. If you were employed as an administrative officer when you were a student, for instance, and then went on to a Class 4 job title, your previous employment can now be recognized by your current employer.

Postponing your vacation

Every year, some people are unable to enjoy their summer vacation as planned because of illness, accident, or professional or other injury. If you’re in that situation, Article 11 of your local provisions includes a clause that explains the rules for postponing your vacation to a later date. Often, this clause will say that you must tell your employer you need to postpone your vacation before the date it was supposed to begin. Be sure to take a look at this clause if you want to keep your vacation time when you go back to work.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (OHS) ● FEMINIST ACTION
TRAINING | Spousal violence: your workplace's role and legal obligations

The Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime has come into force, which means that employers are now required to take measures to protect employees exposed to spousal violence. We urge all APTS members to follow the Éducaloi training session on spousal violence in the workplace (in French).

Éducaloi’s 60-minute pre-recorded training session is available free of charge. You’ll learn about legal and social aspects of spousal violence and find out how you can support and protect the people in your workplace who are facing this problem.

At the APTS, the OHS and feminist action sectors continue to work on this issue, and your local OHS and feminist action officers have been receiving training on spousal violence since May 30. If you have any questions, they can help you.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ACTION
Marching with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities

The APTS gender and sexual diversity committee hopes many of you will join the APTS contingent at the Pride Parade on Sunday, August 7. The parade is part of the Montréal Pride Festival, which was founded in 2007 by members of Montréal’s sexual and gender diversity communities and is now the largest gathering of its kind in the French-speaking world. If you’re planning to come, please let us know at sociopolitique@aptsq.com – you’ll be helping us plan our participation.

SOCIAL SECURITY
Travel insurance

It’s your summer vacation – time to get away! If you’re planning a trip, it’s a good idea to get in touch with CanAssistance, the SSQ travel assistance company. You’ll get useful advice for the country you’re planning to visit, plus information about travel advisories issued by Foreign Affairs Canada. If your destination is under a travel advisory, CanAssistance will tell you if you’re covered while you’re there. CanAssistance contact info is on the back of your SSQ card.