The Profile-Based Classification System: Challenges and Concerns

Your union is aware that for some members, and for some specific professions like pharmacists and supervisors working in medical imaging and medical laboratories, there have been substantive and serious problems with the transition to the profile-based classification system. 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.
 
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, and has begun the process of seeking to have the specialized work of clinical pharmacists added to the P2A profile. We will update pharmacist members about this work when we have information to share.

Jobs with Multiple Professions

Some members are in jobs that can be filled by members of multiple professions or in jobs where they supervise 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. In the meantime, members in these jobs who feel that they are classified or paid incorrectly should reach out to a steward for assistance with filing a grievance.

Supervisors Without a Clear Number of FTEs

Some members are in supervisory/leadership positions where the number of FTEs that they supervise is unclear. Your union has been working to resolve this issue, but discussions with the employer are still ongoing. In the meantime, members in these jobs who feel that they are classified or paid incorrectly should reach out to a steward for assistance with filing a grievance.