Hamilton steel workers can receive self-isolation pay
Local union advocacy has helped secure paid leave for self-isolation time related to a COVID-19 exposure and sick days at Hamilton steel work sites that have experienced outbreaks in the past.
Gary Howe, president of the United Steel Workers Local 1005, said the isolation pay began in mid-January for Stelco workers who test negative for COVID-19 but must isolate due to a close contact with a positive case. Previously, workers were only eligible for sick pay after five days of leave related to an illness, but the union also negotiated for that to kick in at the beginning of a sick leave.
Workers are compensated approximately 85 per cent of their regular wages for isolation time, and a similar rate for sick leave, which may vary if a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claim is pursued, though proving it was contracted in the workplace can be difficult, Howe said.
Stelco declared an outbreak on Feb. 16, with three staff cases, and Howe said about 10 are using the leave benefits due to a COVID-19 case or exposure as of Feb. 18. The plant currently does not have rapid testing in place, he said. A Stelco spokesperson did not reply to an inquiry regarding testing and leave by the time of publication.
There was a lot of pressure put on by us, that people should be paid their full wage," Howe said. This last year - and I've done this for a long time - has been one of the most stressful times for workers and [Local] 1005 members."
The COVID-19 related leave agreements will be reassessed and renewed on a month-to-month basis, he said.
While Stelco's unionized employees can benefit from these worker protections, non-unionized workers advocating for similar protections may have their concerns easily dismissed, said Suzanne Mills, an associate professor at McMaster University's School of Labour Studies.
As far as the United Steelworkers, I'd say that just shows you why unions are important; because unions are able to pressure employers in ways that perhaps other people are not, because unions represent an economic lever," Mills said.
A Canada Bread facility, located at 745 Nebo Rd. and represented by the Canadian Allied Professionals Union, declared an outbreak three weeks ago, on Jan. 28, with 44 total staff cases.
Associates at Canada Bread bakeries in Hamilton are entitled to paid personal and sick leave provided by the company, subject to site-specific bargaining agreements, said Sylvia Sicuso, a spokesperson at Bimbo Canada, in an email to The Spectator. Canada Bread was purchased by Grupo Bimbo in 2014.
Martin Cerqua, president of Teamsters Local 647, the union that represents the Canada Bread plant at 155 Nebo Rd., was not able to confirm whether workers have sick days.
I know the company's been channeling people through government benefits. A first step," he said.
The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit provides up to two weeks for those who must self-isolate or are sick with COVID-19, but the narrow eligibility criteria has ignited calls for the Progressive Conservative government by opposition leaders and advocacy groups, such as the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, to implement a provincial benefit.
Last March, amendments to the Employment Standards Act added unpaid job protection for Ontarians who were unable to work for reasons including self-isolation, sick leave, treatment for COVID-19, providing care to a family member, and travel restrictions.
According to an August 2020 report by the Decent Work and Health Network, a coalition of Ontario-based health providers, 58 per cent Canada's workers do not have paid sick days, with low-wage jobs less likely to include paid leave, but more likely to be linked to a high-risk exposure setting.
Hamilton-region hospitals, including in the Hamilton Health Services and St. Joseph's Healthcare networks, are putting paid self-isolation pay in place retroactively to cover isolation leaves taken in the summer, with an end date of Mar. 31, 2021, pending changes.
These benefits were previously only offered in some workplaces based on local agreements.
Regardless of what the specific local agreement says for regular times, this is COVID time," said Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario. The whole thing is nonsensical. People are not going into self isolation because they chose to."
An epidemiology update released Friday by the Public Health Agency of Canada warns that increased transmission seen in COVID-19 variants could threaten to cause rapid virus spread, with a countrywide projection of 20,000 cases per day by March, when factoring in variants and the easing of health restrictions.
The highly contagious variants - one has been identified in Hamilton so far - could compound issues related to self-isolation and sick leave, as those with potential exposures or who believe they may be infected await test results.
Vjosa Isai is a Hamilton-based business reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: visai@thespec.com.