HSPBA Classifications Update: Policy Grievances and Anomalous Jobs

When the new profile-based classification system was implemented at the end of 2024, the employers designated many jobs as “anomalous/unique”. For members working in these jobs, this meant that their classification and rate of pay needed to be determined through discussion between the union and the employers’ association. Now that collective agreement bargaining has concluded, your union is moving forward to ensure that these members’ jobs are correctly classified and paid.

Policy Grievances: Arbitrator Appointed, Hearing Dates Set

In December 2024, HSA filed three policy grievances on behalf of several hundred members working in three groups of jobs that have been classified by the employer has “anomalous/unique”:

• Supervisory/leadership positions with no clearly designated FTEs on the organizational chart (for example, jobs that under the old classification system were called assistant to the lead health science professional or assistant to the section head);
• Multi-profession jobs (jobs that can be performed by members from multiple health science professions, with multiple wage schedules) (for example, medical imaging jobs that can be performed by a radiological technologist, a MRI technologist, or a diagnostic medical sonographer); and
• Supervisory/leadership positions who supervise teams comprised of multiple health science professions (for example, a supervisor of a community-based team comprised of DASWs, occupational therapists, and recreation therapists).

These grievances were transferred to our legal department to be scheduled for hearing by an arbitrator. Our classifications experts believe that this is the best way to ensure that the employer properly classifies and pays members working in these roles.

An arbitrator has now been appointed, and we can confirm that these policy grievances are going to hearing in June 2027.

If you fall into one of these three groups, please make sure that we have your correct contact information, as where we are successful at arbitration you may be entitled to retro pay back to April 1, 2024.

All Other Anomalous Jobs

There are many members whose jobs have been classified by the employer as “anomalous/unique” that do not fall under the three policy grievances listed above. These jobs must either be matched to profiles or have their salary structures established by separate memoranda of agreement.
 
Regular meetings of the parties began in the first week of April 2026, to move forward with resolving the question of the profile matches and/or salary structures for all the outstanding anomalous/unique classified jobs.
 
Given the numbers of anomalous/unique classified jobs, it is hard to know how long the process will take. Undoubtedly, for some of these jobs the parties will reach agreement in the coming months while others will need to be referred to arbitration.

If your job has been classified as anomalous/unique, please ensure that your union has a current personal email address for you on file. If you feel that you are being paid per the wrong classification or wage schedule, you should also contact your steward to file an individual grievance.