Vacation quotas and unit allotments must be 'reasonable and must be administered reasonably,' says arbitrator in decision involving Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Employers cannot make it difficult for employees to take time off work for a vacation if it's previously agreed upon by both the company and workers, according to a recent arbitrator’s ruling.
An Ontario arbitrator has ruled that Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) violated its collective agreement by applying an overly restrictive vacation allotment policy, sending a clear message to employers about the need for flexibility and transparency in vacation scheduling.
The decision, issued by Sole Arbitrator Norm Jesin in Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 1974 v Kingston Health Sciences Centre, 2025, addressed two policy grievances filed by CUPE Local 1974. The union alleged that KHSC failed to properly consider employee preferences for vacation dates, instead relying on rigid departmental quotas that led to numerous denials.
The union argued that the employer’s approach breached the collective agreement, which requires vacation to be scheduled at times “mutually convenient to the Hospital and the employee.” The employer maintained that its practices were necessary to ensure adequate staffing and that managers had discretion to grant exceptions.
Arbitrator Jesin found that while employers are permitted to establish vacation quotas or unit allotments, these must be...
Rap star Nicki Minaj made an appearance at the US mission to the United Nations to echo President Donald Trump’s false claim that Christians are being systematically killed in Nigeria. Minaj appea...