Charlotte Villa
August 17, 2022
There has been a lot of misinformation about what it means to join Unifor, and it has become very clear that CLAC is spreading false information in order to scare workers into staying. Unifor’s priority will always be to give workers the information they need to make an informed decision.
For many of you, your pension is very important. We understand that very well and would never put you in a position that would jeopardize that. We want to reassure all of you that your decision to change unions would not mean that you lose your pension. In fact, changing to Unifor will allow you more options for your pension. We put together some common questions we’ve heard:
What will happen to my current pension plan if we join Unifor?
You will not lose any of your current contributions, however, you will need to consider a new pension plan moving forward.
Past benefits (current account balances) can either remain where it currently is and continue to be managed by that plan or transferred to other group or individual accounts. Charlotte Villa members will direct us as to how these accounts are treated moving forward.
What will be our pension plan if we join Unifor?
Members at Charlotte Villa will decide which pension plan is in their best interests and which they will participate in. Members will have the option to choose from a variety of options including NHRIPP (Nursing Homes and Related Industries Pension Plan), however, Unifor will not limit the choice of members at Charlotte Villa to only the NHRIPP. Currently, members at Charlotte Villa are limited only to the CLAC pension plan.
What is NHRIPP?
Many of our health care members participate in NHRIPP - the industry standard Nursing Homes and Related Industries Pension Plan with more than 65,000 unionized, nursing and retirement home workers represented by ONA, Unifor, CUPE and SEIU. The plan pays a lifetime pension so its pensioners do not have to worry about outliving their savings. With NHRIPP you could be entitled to receive credit for up to seven years even though you were not a member of NHRIPP - without any effect on your CLAC account balance.
What are the current solvency rates for Unifor’s pension plan?
This type of question is an attempt by CLAC to confuse and misdirect workers. CLAC neglects to include any details or information to best answer this. Unifor members participate in many different pension plans that members choose when they are negotiating their collective agreements. This is very different than CLAC’s model where there is one plan for all its members with little choice or options for the membership.
What is the difference between CLAC’s Defined Contribution (DC) plan and a Defined Benefit (DB) plan like NHRIPP?
The CLAC Defined Contribution plan is a defined contribution plan that puts all the risk on the individual workers as it does not offer a lifetime pension promise for you and your spouse. It will only last as long as there is money in your account.
It is an account balance that depends strictly on market performance and can be negatively impacted due to extreme volatility events. For instance, during 2007/2008 and again in 2020 there were huge market corrections, and members of this plan would have most likely delayed their retirement decision based on the losses the plan suffered.
The NHRIPP Defined Benefit plan is a formula-based pension and promises a predictable pension much more accurately than a defined contribution pension plan. The amount of money you get out of the Plan (your monthly pension benefit) is defined by a formula, typically related to your earnings and years of service and pays a lifetime pension.
The assets in the Plan are pooled and managed by investment professionals hired by the plan sponsor and are the lowest within the industry adding value to your pension and are pooled over all plan members so pensioners do not worry about ending up outliving their savings.
It is important to note here that the NHRIPP pension plan has $2 Billion dollars in assets and as of its 2018 valuation report, this pension plan has $141 Million dollars in surplus on a going concern basis. Which means that this pension plan has more than enough assets to pay its members and spouses for their entire lifetimes!
Click Here to review a detailed graph showing the difference in the Plans.
Over the next few days, we will continue to have conversations with all of you. We want to ensure you have the opportunity to speak with us one on one so that we can answer any of your questions or concerns.
In the meantime do not hesitate to contact us:
Samia Hashi
416-540-3212
August 9, 2022
Unifor: The Union for Health Care Workers
Welcome to the Unifor organizing campaign for Charlotte Villa Workers. We can't wait to have you united with 315,000 workers from every major sector of the economy.
With Unifor you will be joining one of the largest unions in Canada, representing 30,000 workers in the Health Care sector. We have earned the respect of workers throughout Canada by having the best track record when negotiating collective agreements on behalf of workers. A union for the workers by the workers.
With such a large healthcare sector, Unifor has the knowledge, resources, staff and the legal team to solve grievances and bargain for better collective agreements. Health care workers make up 15% of Unifor members in Ontario, making health care our largest represented sector in the province.
What can I do if I want to be represented by Unifor?
The Ontario Labour Relations Act states that every person is free to join a trade union of their choice. If you and your co-workers want to join the many others who have made the collective decision to join Unifor, here’s what you need to do:
- Contact a Unifor organizer to get more information
- Sign a Unifor union card
- Encourage your co-workers to do the same
- When the time comes, vote in favour of Unifor
What is the process?
A request to change the union that represents you must take place when your collective agreement is up for renewal or the three months prior to the 3rd year of your contract. This is called the “open period”. Nothing prevents you from signing a card earlier. When at least 40% of the entire workplace has signed a Unifor membership card, we will apply to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) for certification. The Board will inform the organization that represents you and your employer that the Application for Certification has been filed. The OLRB is required to hold a secret ballot vote five days after the application has been filed. The vote usually takes place electronically.
Who can vote?
Anyone who is within the bargaining unit on the date of the application is eligible to vote. Once the Application for Certification has been made by Unifor, a statutory “freeze” will be made on your working conditions. This means that the employer cannot change any of your wages or benefits while the Application for Certification is underway. Once Unifor is certified as your new union, the employer cannot change your working conditions while Unifor negotiates with the employer for a new collective agreement.
What will my employer or the organization that represents me do if I support Unifor?
They may discourage you from supporting a new union. However, the law prohibits either party from threatening you or discriminating against you in any way because you have shown support for Unifor. If either tries to intimidate you in any way, contact us right away and we can file a complaint to the OLRB.
What are your rights during a campaign?
You have the right to meet with Unifor organizers and ask questions before, after or during your lunch breaks. You can speak to your co-workers and share with them the benefits of joining Unifor. You can also pass out Unifor leaflets to your co-workers but you should not engage in union activity during working hours.
Many of you have waited a long time to move to a union like Unifor and you have the opportunity now. The first step is filling out membership cards. If you support having Unifor has your Union, we ask each of you to sign up. If you haven't done so already, you can complete your membership card using the link below:
We believe in and take very seriously job security, maximum benefits (including retirees), guaranteed wage progression, pension plans, and so much more.
CLAC says I will lose my pension is that true?
No! In fact, with Unifor you will have an opportunity to move to a much better pension plan. Many of our health care units belong to the Nursing Homes & Related Industries Pension Plan (NHRIPP). This retirement plan is available to health care members of UNIFOR, CUPE, ONA and SEIU and has 65,000 participating members and 12,000 retirees. A much bigger, better pension plan that provides a lifetime of secured pension promise for you and your spouse. With Unifor’s pension and benefits experts, we will work to ensure a seamless transition every step of the way.
Stay Tuned! We will have more to say about this in the coming days.
Collective bargaining is the backbone and strength of Unifor.
Not only does Unifor make bargaining strong collective agreements a priority, we know the importance of fighting for workers on issues that continue to plague the industry by meeting with governments and pressuring health care employers. As leaders in the health care sector, we have fought for and won:
- Pandemic pay for health care workers
- 4 hours of minimum standard of care
- Guaranteed access to personal protective equipment for health care workers
- Dedicated funding from the provincial government to attract more health care workers in long-term care and retirement homes.
If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact your Unifor Organizer:
Samia Hashi
416-540-3212
