APUO Bulletin

N’OUBLIEZ PAS: les procédures de demande de remboursement des dépenses professionnelles

 Nous avons publié dans le Bulletin de septembre 2000 que l’APUO a consenti à une modification administrative de la procédure de demande de remboursement des dépenses professionnelles (RDP) des membres. Le Service des ressources humaines de l’Université d’Ottawa a maintenant distribué aux membres de l’APUO une formule intitulée « Déclaration écrite à l’appui du RDP ». On demande aux membres dans cette formule de déclarer qu’ils ont engagé des dépenses professionnelles admissibles de 700 $ au plus et qu’ils conserveront tous les reçus nécessaires pendant six ans, afin de vérifier leurs demandes. À l’intention des membres hors campus ou en congé sabbatique, cette formule sera affichée au site Web de l’Université, section des documents, à l’adresse suivante : www.uottawa.ca/services/hr/.

IL EST IMPORTANT QUE LES MEMBRES RETOURNENT CES FORMULES (PAR COURRIER OU PAR COURRIEL) LE 30 NOVEMBRE 2000 AU PLUS TARD. Si les formules n’arrivent pas à temps, le montant total sera considéré comme une allocation imposable et les membres recevront en février prochain un T4A au montant de 700 $. Ils devront ensuite justifier leurs dépenses directement dans leurs déclarations de revenus à l’Agence des douanes et du revenu du Canada.

L’APUO et l’employeur ont convenu de ces procédures et ratifié un « protocole d’entente » en ce sens. Les nouvelles procédures ont été formulées pour éviter la confusion suscitée l’an dernier lors de l’administration des demandes de RPD. Certains membres ont égaré leurs formules de rapport en 1999 (elles ont été distribuées pendant l’été) ou ont oublié de les présenter, et l’envoi des rappels plus tard pendant l’année a suscité la confusion à savoir qui avaient ou n’avaient pas déjà présenté leurs rapports. Espérons que cette procédure rationalisée de fin d’exercice minimisera les problèmes, autant pour les membres de l’APUO que pour l’employeur.

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As we reported in the September 2000 issue of the Bulletin, the APUO has agreed to an administrative change in the claim procedure for members’ professional expense allowance (PER).  The University of Ottawa Human Resources Service has now distributed a form called the “Written Declaration in Support of PER,” to APUO members.  On this form members are being asked to declare that they have incurred eligible professional expenses up to $700 and that they will keep all necessary receipts to verify their claims for a period of six years.  For the convenience of members away from campus or on sabbatical, this form will be posted on the University web site at the following address, www.uottawa.ca/services/hr/, in the documents section.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT MEMBERS RETURN THESE FORMS (BY MAIL OR FAX) BY 30 NOVEMBER 2000.  If forms are not received in time, the full amount will be considered a taxable allowance and members will be issued a T4A slip next February in the amount of $700.  They will then have to justify their expenses directly to Canada Customs and Revenue Agency in their tax returns.

The APUO and the employer have signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” agreeing to these procedures.  The reason for the new procedures is to avoid the confusion that arose last year with the administration of PER.  In 1999, some members mislaid their report forms (which were distributed in the summer) or forgot to submit them, and when reminders were sent out later in the year confusion arose as to who had or had not already submitted their reports.  It is hoped that this streamlined end-of-year procedure will minimize problems, both for APUO members and for the employer.

 

Board of Directors 2000-2001

APUO members are encouraged to bring any issues about which they have concerns to the Board of Directors representative for their academic unit. In particular, members are asked to raise issues related to bargaining for the next collective agreement, which will begin in the new year.

 

Parental Leave

For several years now the APUO has been in a dispute with the employer about the treatment of natural parents (as opposed to adoptive parents) in regard to the payment of salary during parental leave (see details below).  The dispute was taken to arbitration, and in two decisions, rendered in May and December 1999, the arbitrator ruled in favour of the APUO, ordering the employer to extend the same parental leave benefits to natural parents as had previously been extended to adoptive parents.  Since these rulings were handed down, the employer has been threatening to proceed to a judicial review of the arbitrator’s decision.  The employer has offered a variety of different reasons for taking this course.  In the opinion of the APUO, not only is such a review application improper, but the employer’s delays in submitting such an application must be considered excessive and the prejudice created for our members over the past year unreasonable.

Early on, the employer took the position that it would recover any amounts paid if the ruling was overturned. APUO clearly has opposed that position. Because of the uncertainty this situation has created, some APUO members have been unwilling to apply for parental leave even though that benefit, as extended by the arbitrator, must now be considered as part of the collective agreement.  Some members feared, for example, that they may be required in future to reimburse the employer for top-up salary payments received under the parental leave provisions.  The employer has only recently retracted its threat to recover payments. The APUO Executive is now proceeding on its own to produce a new page for the collective agreement, in which the parental leave provisions of 29.2.3.6 and 29.2.3.7 reflect the order of the arbitrator.

Background

As reported in earlier Bulletins, under section 29.2.3 of the collective agreement, members are entitled to a parental leave following the birth of a child or the arrival of an adopted child.  The provision also provides for a 10 week top-up of employment insurance benefits during the leave (to 95% of salary), but only in the case of adoptive parents.  In the past, natural parents have had to take leave without pay, meaning that they had to rely solely on unemployment insurance payments.  This difference in treatment was challenged in 1997 by a natural father who wished to take a leave beginning in January 1998.

As a result of the two arbitration awards (May and December 1999), the top-up benefit available to adoptive parents under 29.2.3.6 is now also available to both biological parents, with the benefit available to the biological mother after the maternity leave period is concluded.  The words in 29.2.3.6 and 29.2.3.7 which purport to exclude the natural parents have been ordered struck from the collective agreement.  For further background on this issue, members can consult the Bulletin for 21 January 2000 - on the Web at: ../../Bulletin/2000/bul0001.htm.

Members with any questions regarding the parental leave benefit should contact the APUO (ext. 4364).

 

Prestations de pension pour conjoints de même sexe

Le Bureau des gouverneurs de l’Université d’Ottawa a approuvé le 19 juillet 1999 une modification au règlement du régime de pension : les conjoints de même sexe des employés de l’Université d’Ottawa sont dorénavant admissibles aux prestations de pension et aux prestations de pension de survivant. Cette nouvelle disposition s’applique automatiquement aux employés qui ont déjà inscrit un conjoint de même sexe dans leur dossier, selon le bureau des ressources humaines de l’employeur. Si un membre de l’APUO vit une relation avec une personne qui correspond aux critères du conjoint de même sexe, c.-à-d. s’il ou si elle habite avec une personne du même sexe, si la relation est semblable à un mariage, et ce, depuis au moins un an, cette personne devrait en informer par écrit le bureau des ressources humaines, afin que les mêmes dispositions s’appliquent à eux. Conformément au règlement modifié, paragraphe 2.37, le conjoint doit correspondre à cette définition au plus tard le premier jour de la retraite du membre qui obtient des prestations de pension pour être admissible à une prestation de pension de survivant. Nous incitons les membres de l’APUO qui sont incertains de leur statut actuel à communiquer avec le bureau des ressources humaines au pavillon Tabaret.

 

Health Coverage under New Provider

In the September 2000 issue of Factum, the human resources bulletin of the University of Ottawa, the employer reported some changes in the application of our health coverage policy under our new insurer Manulife.  In particular, Factum notes a change in the application of provisions regarding reimbursement for over-the-counter drugs:  “Though the contract with Metlife/Mutual/Clarica [our old insurer] stated that only prescription drugs were covered, Assure (the plan administrator) was reimbursing claims for over-the-counter drugs if they were prescribed by a physician. With the change to Manulife, we also acquired a new administrator (Express Scripts Inc.) for direct payment of our prescription drugs. This new administrator is applying the provisions of the contract correctly, so for some, this unfortunately means that claims for over-the-counter drugs (vitamins, antihistamines, etc. ) are now being refused.”

It is the APUO’s understanding that certain over-the-counter drugs are covered by our health plan, provided they meet certain criteria spelled out in the policy.  Any APUO member who has encountered problems in this area (or in any other aspect of benefits coverage) as a result of the changeover from Clarica to Manulife is urged to contact the APUO office.  In this way we can offer advice on individual cases and remain abreast of any difficulties that have arisen.

 

ASSEMBLÉE GÉNÉRALE ORDINAIRE 

REGULAR GENERAL MEETING

mercredi, 13 décembre 2000 – Wednesday, 13 December 2000

10:00 – 12:00

pièce 122 pavillon Lamoureux – room 122 Lamoureux Hall