Union News October 2018
This article was inspired by a Facebook post on the St. Johns TC, Local 90001 page.
Pre-Retirement Leave PRL is paid leave similar to vacation leave that members are entitled to once they reach certain years of service and age requirements. For clarity PRL is not the same as Pre-Retirement Transition Leave.
Employees eligible for PRL, can accrue 5 days (37.5 hours) of paid leave each year up to a maximum of 25 days (187.5 hours).
Your first 5 days of leave are credited to you on the date that you become eligible and are available to you the following day on the Employee Self Service portal (ESS).
For part-time employees this leave is pro-rated, thus an employee working for example 30 hours a week, they would receive 4 days pre-retirement leave.
The problem is that unless employees first meet specific eligibility requirements and report this to the Client Compensation Service Centre (CCSC) they will not start receiving this leave.
Eligibility Requirements
For an employee to be eligible for PRL they must not be in receipt of pension benefits and have the following age and years of service which is now also dependant on pension plans start date.
Employees who became members on or before December 31, 2012 must be:
55 years or older with 30 years of pensionable service
OR
60 years of age or more with at least 2 years of pensionable service
Employees who became members on or after January 1, 2013 must be:
60 years of age or more with 30 years of pensionable service
OR
65 years of age or more with at least 2 years of pensionable service
This leave can be provided retroactively for prior years when you would have been eligible but had not advised CCSC upon your eligibility.
The problem
Unfortunately, many members are not aware of the requirement and responsibility of employees to advise CCSC of their eligibility. This results in potential delays or even situations where employees might not receive this leave.
The process
As noted members must advise CCSC of their eligibility and they must provide proof of being eligible to receive a pension. This proof can be obtained by using the Compensation Web Application or by receiving a copy of their pension statement from the Pension Centre. This information can then be mailed or emailed directly to CCSC.
Once received employees will receive credits annually to a maximum available on the anniversary date when they first received the credit.
Hopefully this information will ensure that all our members are applying for and receiving this benefit at their earliest opportunity.
Gary Esslinger
Communications Committee