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2012-08-31 at 13:13

Police Association president says cops can't bank sick time in Thunder Bay

By Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com
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The head of the Thunder Bay Police Association says not all union contracts are created alike.

Greg Stephenson, president of the TBPA, on Friday issued a statement to clarify rumours circulating in the city that all police and fire services are allowed to bank sick days and carry them over for future use.

“The collective agreements of the Thunder Bay Police Association are not allowed to bank their sick days over their career,” Stephenson said in a release.

Stephenson was reacting to reports earlier in the week that indicated Premier Dalton McGuinty, embroiled in a contract negotiation dispute with public-school teachers, was considering pushing municipalities to remove bankable sick time from future police and fire service contracts. 
 

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Comments

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chezhank says:
While Stephenson is quoted as saying:
“The collective agreements of the Thunder Bay Police Association are not allowed to bank their sick days over their career,”

The question that should be asked is what is the policy on accumulating sick(sink) days?
Are they allowed to be paid out up to 6 months worth of sick days?
8/31/2012 2:47:33 PM
unionbay880 says:
Bank and accumulate mean the same thing. So the answer is no.
8/31/2012 10:34:51 PM
jimmyboy says:
Ah...that is so very comforting too know...I am sure too sleep more soundly at night knowing this...now how about addressing the overall 341 Million dollar police budget...now that fact should have everyone in the city concerned...it appears we are not getting all that BIG of a BANG for our BUCK.!
8/31/2012 3:17:15 PM
passlake says:
where did you get your numbers from? typo, or did you just make it up?

in 2011, the police budget was just over $32 million. not even 1/10th of what you suggested it is.

In fact, if I'm reading it correctly, the entire city budget is around $200 million for EVERYTHING.
9/2/2012 12:50:32 PM
silent rebel says:
Either way the sick time gets paid out. Workers are either going to adopt a "use-it-or-lose-it attitude” which will cause young, useful and valuable employees to be off the job throughout the year; or you can let them bank it and use it when they are nearing the end of the career, possibly suffering some health problems or the stress that comes with old age, people who need it, and taking all their banked up sick time in chunks. Not allowing them to bank it doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be used. It will just be used and managed differently. Using it in smaller increments throughout the year doesn’t look as bad as never taking a sick day off in 20 years and taking a few months, sometimes a year or two before calling it quits. No problem is being solved here.
8/31/2012 3:28:45 PM
baor says:
What on earth is your point? Officers are human beings and will get sick just like anyone else. "No problem is being solved here.".... what problem is that exactly?
8/31/2012 4:50:00 PM
Steven says:
Thats a start. Can the fire fighters bank their days?
8/31/2012 3:33:21 PM
tsb says:
Haha yes, those lazy no good Firesleepers!!! We should also fire all the paramedics and hire minimum wage teachers. Then privatize the roads and water system.
8/31/2012 9:44:05 PM
dad3192 says:
Hank the answer to that would be no.....
8/31/2012 4:54:55 PM
dad3192 says:
what about fire fighters? telephone workers? any city employee? why just throw rocks at the police hank and jimmy?
8/31/2012 4:56:20 PM
chezhank says:
@dad3192
Maybe because the union president of the Thunder Bay police brought up the issue and a clarification is in order!
If asking a question is throwing rocks you would make a fine Thunder bay police person!
8/31/2012 6:07:06 PM
Tbaylifer says:
Mr. Mcgimpy is accomplishing the objective of pitting worker against worker. If there is such a great need to reduce the 15 billion dollar deficit then he should start reductions with his pay and perks. You mismanaged the province not us.
8/31/2012 4:56:52 PM
yup says:
it is the use it or loose it policy. If officers do not take sick days in the year they loose it and do not get any benefits from it. Also, if officers are using more then 3 sick days in a row a doctors note is needed.
8/31/2012 4:59:38 PM
xxx says:
What about putting the police through what the teachers are going through?? Police rack up the unlimited overtime at our expense like its candy, so if you are trying to save money, look no further..
8/31/2012 6:00:37 PM
useyourbrain says:
@ ramma
Finally someone is seeing what the government is starting to do. People can blame all the teachers, doctors, police, OPG workers(who got a raise) and government workers all they like for their salary's, sick time and time off but this is only the start. If public does not support what it happening to them they need to realize that this is the beginning of the cuts. Private sector bases a lot of wages benefits on gov. workers/ programs, the worse off these employees are the less time and money they have to spend. It is going to be a rocky few years for this province as a whole if we don't stand up to Dalton and friends!!
8/31/2012 7:43:05 PM
dynamiter says:
This makes me sick. And I mean it - sick leave is for people who are sick. If you are sick you should not show up for work and make other people sick. If your union negotiated a sick leave policy so be it. If your management gets an agreement to cover you if you are sick then so be it. But I do not believe that just because you were lucky enough not to get sick or just because you toughed it out and reported to work when you were sick - that you deserve to be paid for not using your sick leave allowances. That whole liberal attitude is one of the reasons that we as a society are in trouble in the new reality - by this I mean our competitive advantage in the world economy is going into the toilet. That whole sick leave mentality is a place where we should all make a concession.
8/31/2012 10:40:04 PM
JIMMY2 says:
Ok, where did he get his info from, I would like to hear this from an officer, cause, they so are allowed to use their sick days for extended holidays, so this whole report is false, and secondly so were not allowing for people to bank their sick days, so will they not just call in sick all the time???? I don't think banking them should be allowed, as their there for a reason, but there should be stricter rules regarding them. And I don't think anyone who even has a bad cough should be in the workplace, so maybe enforce sick people to stay home
9/1/2012 2:57:24 AM
xxx says:
Actually they do get all the overtime they want, When their supervisors say "feel free to take all the overtime you'd like, its your choice" so maybe im right.....
9/1/2012 10:31:40 AM
xxx says:
ramma, thats what you get for NOT caring....
9/1/2012 12:16:53 PM
tbay87 says:
I'm not anti-union, but I think it shows one of the problems I do have with unions with the "use it or lose it" mentality for sick days. They are SICK days, you are supposed to use them if and when you get sick so you can rest and/or avoid infecting others. They are not the same thing as personal or vacation days which workers should ensure they use up. If you're lucky enough not to get sick, you shouldn't think of it as losing your sick days: if you weren't sick you weren't entitled to them in the first place.

Sick days are good public health policy, but treating them as vacation days kind of ruins the entire point. While banking in case you get really sick one year makes some sense, banking to use for early retirement doesn't.
9/2/2012 5:04:07 AM
homelessteen says:
When I drove truck our company had a bonus for perfect attendence. Maybe something like that could work in the public sector.
As an employer I value my workers and their dedication. I also have a bonus for perfect attendence for amployees.. Just no alloted amount of sick days so it can be taken advantage of like the floater days at Northern woods and Great West Timber because there are always those who will abuse the system. Doesn't matter if they teach, police, or sweep the streets.
9/3/2012 9:56:41 AM
xxx says:
Those who abuse the system are protected by their unions....unions protect the weak nowadays
9/3/2012 11:46:31 AM
Urban Guy says:
So how about the situation where the person has used their legitimately used their sick days up and gets sick? Not just any sickness, sick from working in raw sewage for days, post flood to get the city sewage system up and running. Result "sick no pay" on your check. Work the job, walk in their shoes before making comments without all the facts. Everyone turns into an armchair expert. Opinions are fine, base them on some facts though not just assumptions and half a story.
9/3/2012 12:35:35 PM
Urban Guy says:
homelessteen Eight years at Great West Timber. 2 floater days a year wow. That's open to abuse lol. General City employees get a letter if they have not used any sick days in a year. There's an incentive. And if you legitimately use all your do use sick days(and the days count for staying home with a sick child, single father here) and get sick too bad.
9/3/2012 3:17:02 PM
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