ICBC-2024 Vacation Schedules for Commercial Claims Appraisers, Estimator -Specialty Vehicles (Commercial vehicle claims only) & Vehicle Settlement Representatives

Thanks to the diligence of our job stewards, we recently learned that ICBC is taking liberties with how vacation is scheduled for your job.

There is a 49-year practice at ICBC whereby vacation is scheduled on what is known as the ‘four walls’ system. This practice was also confirmed in an arbitration award.  In other words, workers from one location cannot be combined and scheduled with another group of workers who perform the same job. This is so deeply imbedded in the ICBC culture that in 2014 they came to our union and bargained a letter of understanding (LOU) for provincial scheduling for certain jobs. Each subsequent round of bargaining they have wanted to expand their provincial scheduling, most recently they insisted that the Estimators who handle express claims and the Administration Coordinators be included in provincial scheduling. At no time in bargaining did they ever discuss their plan to do what they are now calling ‘hybrid’ vacation scheduling – essentially grouping together some offices and leaving other offices to be scheduled as the ‘four walls’. It is our position that this is not only a break from a 49-year practice but is a violation of our collective agreement.

We have spoken to stewards and many of the members to better understand the impact of what ICBC has unilaterally done. This helped us determine how best to proceed. From these conversations it was clear that you do not want ICBC to be allowed to violate our collective agreement, however you also wanted rapid certainty on your 2024 vacation assignment.

To meet the immediate problem of the 2024 vacation bid that is in progress, we have come to an agreement with ICBC for an LOU which is attached to this bulletin. This will give us time to assess the issue with greater care all the while ensuring that the 2024 vacation bid is not held up.

We want to be very clear — we do not believe that ICBC’s unilateral plan for ‘hybrid’ vacation schedules follows your collective agreement, or the Germaine award, and we are also concerned that this will be a slippery slope of undermining our collective strength as workers.

What this LOU means for each group of workers:

Commercial Claims Appraisers:  2 vacation groups

• one for those who have a headquarters within the lower mainland (currently Abbotsford CC (3 members) and Surrey CC (2 members)
• one for those who have a headquarters outside the lower mainland (currently Quesnel CC (1 member) and Kamloops CC (1 member)

Estimator – Specialty Vehicles (ONLY for those who are assigned to handle commercial claims):   3 vacation groups

• one group for those who have a headquarters within the lower mainland (currently Surrey CC (4 members), Abbotsford CC (1 member), Maple Ridge CC (2 members), Burnaby CC (1 member))
• one group for those who are headquartered in the north of the province* (currently Prince George CC (2 members))
• one group for those who are headquartered in the south of the province* (currently Kamloops CC (1 member))

Vehicle Settlement Representatives: 4 vacation groups

• one group for those who have a headquarters at Abbotsford CC (currently 7 members) and Chilliwack CC (currently 1 member)
• one group for those who have a headquarters at Fraser Valley Salvage (currently 1 member) and Lower Mainland Salvage (currently 4 members)
• one group for those who have a headquarters outside the lower mainland (currently Kamloops CC – 6 members, Kelowna CC – 4 members, Campbell River – 1 member, Cranbrook CC – 1 member, Duncan CC – 1 member, Prince George CC – 4 members, Quesnel CC – 1 member, Vernon CC – 1 member.
• One group for those who have a headquarters at CEF (currently 19 members) and Burnaby CC (currently 2 members)

In solidarity,

Kevin Smyth, Senior Union Representative
Annette Toth, Vice President, ICBC

* It is the position of MoveUP that these two groups are being scheduled as is intended by Germain award, by the “four walls”.

File Number: 23-ICBC-BLTN-2024 Vacation Schedules for Commercial Claims Appraisers, Estimator -Specialty Vehicles (Commercial vehicle claims only) & Vehicle Settlement Representatives-Nov 10

Union Label: KS:hp usw2009

Reply to: harjparmar@moveuptogether.ca