The ETO program allows employees to work extra time each workday so that they can take the accumulated time off later. Over the past couple of years, the parties have resolved a variety of disputes related to ETO. This document is a guideline on how the ETO system should work. It answers these questions about the ETO program:

1. Do ETO arrangements have to be the same in all areas of the Board?
2. Can ETO time only be taken in the following quarter?
3. Can an employee carry over ETO from one quarter to the next?
4. Does the manager have to approve time off for medical and dental appointments?
5. Was ETO intended to be used for special events?
6. Can the employer make rules on how far in advance they will approve ETO requests?
7. What happens if ETO is scheduled in advance and the employee does not earn enough time?
8. What is the process for re-scheduling when a request is not approved?
9. How are ETO disputes handled?
10. Can employees on sick leave make up ETO time to avoid deductions from their ETO banks?
11. Do employees lose ETO credits for other types of absences?
12. Does ETO time have to be worked each day, Monday to Friday?
13. Do employees receive credits for all education leaves?
14. Are there any unresolved ETO disputes?

1. Do ETO arrangements have to be the same in all areas of the Board?
   The Collective Agreement is clear that ETO arrangements may be different in different areas of the Board. The program is intended to be flexible so that it can meet the needs of employees, clients, and the business. Article 26.10 (d) of the Collective Agreement states:
   
   The ETO arrangement is client service oriented and is based on the understanding that in all cases operational requirements must be met. It is intended to be flexible to meet the overall needs of the organization, its clients, and employees. However, it is agreed that different arrangements may be required in different departments or work areas. Therefore, scheduling arrangements will be approved and established at the local level, subject to operational requirements.
   
   This means that local level arrangements should be:
   • Flexible
   • Reasonable
   • Based on operational considerations
     
     
2. Can ETO time only be taken in the following quarter?
   The program is set up so that staff earn time in one quarter and take it off in the next quarter. Exceptions may be made to this general "rule". A different arrangement can be made if both a manager and employee agree to it. An example of a different arrangement is taking all the ETO time earned in a year in one block. The employee should be reasonable in making such requests. In this example, the employee should make the request at the beginning of the year to avoid any confusion and prevent the possibility of losing the time.
   
   
3. Can an employee carry over ETO from one quarter to the next?
   An employee can ask to take ETO time in the quarter after the one in which the employee would normally take the ETO. If approved, the time must be taken that quarter. The employee should be reasonable in making the request. As in the example above, the employee should make the request at the beginning of the quarter.
   
   
4. Does the manager have to approve time off for medical and dental appointments?
   ETO was intended to be used for personal business and medical and dental appointments. Therefore, employees are entitled to request time off at short notice within the quarter. The manager has to set up local arrangements that are able to accommodate requests on short notice.
   
   
5. Was ETO intended to be used for special events?
   Managers should also allow flexibility for special events that occur throughout the year for which an employee may not have been able to schedule vacation. Examples include family reunions, weddings, school professional development days, and exceptions to the general guidelines.
   
   
6. Can the employer make rules on how far in advance they will approve ETO requests?
   Managers may want to determine how far in advance they prefer to approve ETO requests. However, they cannot make a "hard and fast rule" - only a guideline. The employer has to consider all requests and decide to approve or not approve a request based on operational reasons, not rules as to when an employee may apply.
   
   
7. What happens if ETO is scheduled in advance and the employee does not earn enough time?
   In cases where ETO time is approved for a future date and the employee does not have sufficient ETO time to cover the absence, the leave can be recorded as vacation, CTO (compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay), or unpaid leave. The employee will also be given the option to cancel the time.
   
   
8. What is the process for re-scheduling when a request is not approved?
   If an ETO request is denied due to operational constraints, the manager must meet with the employee. Both the manager and employee should make reasonable attempts to re-schedule the time within that quarter. The Collective Agreement allows ETO time to be carried over for use in the following quarter if the time cannot be taken in that quarter due to operational constraints.
   
   
9. How are ETO disputes handled?
   ETO scheduling disputes should be forwarded to the Work Schedule Dispute Resolution Committee to resolve.
   
   
10. Can employees on sick leave make up ETO time to avoid deductions from their ETO banks?
    ETO time is earned on a daily basis. "A", "B", and "S" type employees cannot make up ETO time if they miss working it because they are on sick leave. They cannot move the ETO time to a later day and work it then. By missing the day, they have lost the opportunity to work the time.
    
    
11. Do employees lose ETO credits for other types of absences?
    An employee away for a full day loses the ETO credit for that day and cannot make it up. Exceptions to this are listed below:
    • Employees away on vacation, ETO, or statutory holidays receive the full credit for those days.
      
      
    • Time is not deducted when members are on union paid leave as the CEU pays for the 25 minutes.
    
    
12. Does ETO time have to be worked each day, Monday to Friday?
    There are two exceptions to this:
    1. "B" type employees who complete their weekly hours before the end of the normal workweek may work their remaining ETO time on their last day at work. For example, if the employee works 36.5 hours by Wednesday afternoon (plus ETO time for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), the employee could work the ETO time for Thursday and Friday on Wednesday as well.
       
       
    2. Subject to operational requirements and the agreement of both the manager and employee, Clause 26.10 (b) allows "B" type employees to work their hours over two weeks, including weekends.
    
    
13. Do employees receive credits for all education leaves?
    When an employee obtains leave to take a course or exam that is not required by the Board, the employee loses 25 minutes per day from the ETO bank unless the employee's manager advises payroll that the employee has actually worked the extra 25 minutes. (These leaves are coded as EDE, "education external - paid leave" and EDX, "education exams" in WHRAPS.) Employees should confirm that their managers have advised payroll in these instances.
    
    
14. Are there any unresolved ETO disputes?
    The parties are in dispute about whether ETO time should be deducted from an employee's bank when the employee is on CTO (compensatory time off in lieu of overtime).

Summary

The ETO program is a quarterly system where the majority of employees earn ETO in one quarter that they take off in the next quarter. The program does, however, have the flexibility to allow other arrangements to be made as outlined in this document.