OPSEU Benefits (Regular/Recurring less than 17.5 hours per week)

Eligibility

OPSEU Regular and Recurring employees whose appointment is for less than 17.5 hours per week are eligible for the employee benefits below:

  1. Sick Leave
  2. Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
  3. Flex Benefits
  4. Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
  5. Maternity/Parental Leave
  6. Vacation
  7. Tuition Waivers/Rebates

 

Sick Leave 

Regular or recurring staff members who work less than seventeen and one-half (17- 1/2) hours per week will be paid their hourly rate at the rate of one (1) normal working day for each month of service dating from the appointment date up to a maximum of sixty (60) normal working days, to the extent that these days have not been used on previous illness. When all accumulated sick leave entitlement has been utilized, members shall be laid off in accordance with the provisions of Article 10.14.

Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)

All Trent employees who are currently entitled to Sun Life benefits are eligible to access this free and confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Telus Health (formerly Lifeworks) is Trent University’s confidential Employee Assistance Program available to eligible employees and their dependents 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost to you. From parenting concerns to health matters, work issues to financial problems, legal questions to elder care, even with buying your first home, Telus Health can help! In fact, you can turn to Telus Health for help with a wide range of questions and issues. Telus Health is not just about counselling – it’s also a way to gain access to the information and resources you need. Telus Health can help with:

Phone:  1-877-207-8833
Website:https://one.telushealth.com
Mobile App: Download for iPhone, Android or Blackberry
User ID:  trentemployee
Password:  eap​

Flex Benefits

All OPSEU employees are currently entitled to receive a Flexible Benefits Plan allowance (See Article 14.11 of the OPSEU Collective Agreement). The allowance is $300.00 between July 1 and the following June 30, pro-rated for employees who are employed for less than the full year. The entire amount must be used by June 30. Flex dollars do not carry over at June 30 to the next year. Employees must have a TrentU card in order to use their flex benefits. Flex benefit amounts will be automatically allocated to your TrentU card. The flex benefit account will take priority over your other accounts on your TrentU card. Therefore, when you present your card, funds will be drawn from the flex benefit account first. If you do not have a TrentU card, please visit the TrentU Card Office website for instructions on how to obtain one.  Please also refer to the TrentU Card Office website for further information, to check your card balance, and view the full list of locations you can use your flex benefits at.

If you do not intend to use your flex benefit allotment, please ensure you notify humanresources@trentu.ca, as this is a taxable benefit.  Please contact Human Resources for any disputes as to the amount of flex dollars on your card.

 

Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)

Faculty and staff of Trent University have the opportunity to save for their children/grandchildren’s post-secondary education by starting an RESP through automatic payroll deductions.  In our partnership with CST Consultants Inc., you can save for future educational costs by starting an RESP plan with the Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan, and benefit from the Canada Education Savings Grant which can add 20% to your RESP up to a total potential grant of $7,200.00 per child. The Additional Canada Education Savings Grant and the Canada Learning Bond may also be available by opening an RESP.

If you are interested in opening an RESP please refer to the Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan Brochure for more information or contact:

Ingrid Nolan
Sales Representative
C.S.T. Consultants Inc.
Phone: 705-876-9488
Toll-free: 1-866-795-9407 ext. 404
E-mail: resp@trentu.ca

 

Maternity/Parental Leave

Maternity Leave SUB Plan

After an employee has been employed at Trent University for one (1) year, she they can file for maternity leave under this SUB plan. Under this plan, the Employee will compensation based on the duration of leave as selected on their Employment Insurance Application:

The University will pay 95% of the staff member's normal salary or wages for the Employment Insurance waiting period, and for the next fifteen (15) weeks, the University will supplement the benefit paid by the Employment Insurance Commission so that when combined with earnings from other sources, the total from both sources will equal 95% of the Trent base salary or wages.   The recipient will be required to produce a record of confirmation of receipt of EI benefits from the Employment Insurance Commission before the University can pay the supplement.

Parental Leave SUB Plan

After a staff member has been employed at Trent University for one (1) year, they can apply for parental leave under the SUB plan. Under this plan, all staff eligible for the maternity leave sub-plan above may also extend the appropriate sub-plan for an additional eleven (11) weeks as parental leave providing the parental leave is taken immediately following maternity leave. 

Standard Parental Leave Sub-Plan: The University will supplement EI benefits to 95% of normal salary/wages.

Extended Parental Leave Sub-Plan: The University will supplement EI benefits to 78% of normal salary/wages.

An additional fifty-two (52) weeks of parental leave may also be taken, but shall be considered an unpaid leave and may be eligible for Employment Insurance benefits, but not salary/wages from the University.

Parental leave benefits for eligible staff not eligible for Maternity Leave Sub-Plan benefits are subject to the following:

Standard Parental Leave Sub-Plan:

  1. First week – 95% of members normal salary/wages will be paid by the University upon receipt from EI acceptance, if the waiting period has not yet been served;
  2. Next eleven (11) weeks – The University will supplement EI benefits to 95% of normal salary/wages;
  3. All other weeks of standard parental leave that member takes in accordance with the relevant federal and provincial lawa will be considered as unpaid leave from the University.

Extended Parental Leave Sub-Plan:

  1. First week – 95% of members normal salary/wages will be paid by the University upon receipt from EI acceptance, if the waiting period has not yet been served;
  2. Next eleven (11) weeks – The University will supplement EI benefits to 78% of normal salary/wages;
  3. All other weeks of standard parental leave that member takes in accordance with the relevant federal and provincial lawa will be considered as unpaid leave from the University. 

12-month Maternity/Parental Leave form

18-month Maternity/Parental Leave form

 

Vacation

The vacation year is July 1st of one year to June 30th of the next year.  Vacation entitlements are earned one year to be taken the next year in accordance with the OPSEU vacation schedule in the Collective Agreement.  Thus new employees are not entitled to vacation time until the July 1st following their date of hire.  If an employee’s service date for vacation purposes is prior to September 30th of any given year they will be considered to have a full year of service at the next July 1st.  If you are hired to a permanent position from a contract position please contact Human Resources for your vacation entitlement.

Please Note: 

  • Vacation entitlement for part-time staff will be prorated accordingly
  • Vacation entitlement does not accrue during long term unpaid leaves of absence
  • of four months or longer
  • Normally, vacation may not be carried over from one vacation year to another. However, in certain situations and with prior written approval, vacation days, to a maximum of five (5) working days may be carried over to the next vacation year.
  • In the 25th year, OPSEU employees shall be entitled to Special Service Recognition vacation time which consists of an extra five (5) days for a total of thirty-one (31) days of vacation in the 25th year only.

 

Tuition Waivers/Rebates

Tuition Waivers

  • Course tuition fees are waived for courses of formal instruction offered by Trent University, up to and including graduate level programs
  • In the opinion of the supervisor and Human Resources the course will be of benefit to the staff member in the performance of job duties at the University and will result in some educational credit being obtained
  • Eligible staff applying to take courses must be prepared to meet normal admission requirements and to comply with published deadlines, etc.
  • Failure to successfully complete a course will result in the staff member being held financially responsible for the full course fee.
  • You are eligible to take one (1.0) undergraduate credit taken between September and April and one (1.0) undergraduate credit taken between May and August at Trent University
  • Where the hours of instruction fall within working hours, the employee shall be required to make up for any time lost by taking the course.

Tuition Waivers for OPSEU staff, for credits taken at Trent University

Tuition Waivers for dependents of OPSEU staff:

  • Dependents enrolled in courses at Trent University, are eligible to have their normal undergraduate academic fees waived for up to one full undergraduate program per term
  • Please submit a completed and signed dependent tuition waiver form through myTrent to the Department of Human Resources a minimum of 30 days prior to the commencement of the course
  • Ancillary fees are not waived
  • Dependency shall be considered for one spouse (including common-law) and any children 25 years of age or under (including adopted, fostered and married children)

Tuition Waivers for dependents of OPSEU staff

Tuition Rebates

  • An eligible University staff member is one who holds a regular or recurring appointment at Trent University.
  • Tuition course fee rebates shall be limited to the equivalent of one (1) undergraduate credit between September and April and one (1) undergraduate credit between May and August, or one (1) domestic part time graduate program fee per term.
  • Please submit a completed and signed dependent tuition waiver form through myTrent to the Department of Human Resources a minimum of 30 days prior to the commencement of the course
  • If you are taking a course at another academic institution and require a tuition rebate you are required to pay for the course and once successfully completed you will be reimbursed up to the maximum amount (proof of successful completion (grades) and proof of tuition payment are required).
  • Failure to successfully complete a course will result in the staff member being held financially responsible for the full course fee.
  • Where the course is taken at an accredited university other than Trent, the fee rebate will be limited to Trent's undergraduate course fee or domestic part time graduate program fee, exclusive of ancillary fees.

Tuition Rebates for OPSEU staff, for credits taken at another academic institution

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishnaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

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