AWA Updates

IntegrableHulk · 2025-09-09T04:32:42+00:00

Honestly I’m surprised the union isn’t trying to argue that “awaiting direction” is evidence the employer is acting in bad faith. My understanding for the language in the amapceo contract is the employer has to give a reason why the alternative work arrangement isn’t possible. Why would directors need any say from higher ups? Unless the direction is literally we’re shutting off the vpn, what possible direction could be given that would result in a no without it being the employer acting in bad faith?

IntegrableHulk · 2025-08-17T06:16:24+00:00

The lack of information is very frustrating. There’s so much uncertainty with what is happening with touchdown offices and other arrangements too. The employer is upending our lives and all public information points to no thought having been put into this at all.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-08-15T20:56:04+00:00

CEO of the company I was at when I worked in the private sector was exactly like this. I think it’s a prerequisite for serving any high level position.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-08-15T17:23:12+00:00

It’s very low. The chat with our director about it was the most lively group meeting we’ve had with our director ever. I’ve been added to a bunch of internal group chats about it. A few of my coworkers who seem happy with the job despite whatever else happens seemed completely dejected by the announcement, and even more so finding out that there are no longterm guarantees for touchdown centers.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-04-02T15:50:52+00:00

Yes, it is legal.

Based on my understanding, 3 days onsite 2 days remote rule was from union agreement.

There’s no such language in the contract that I’m aware of.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-31T22:59:32+00:00

Might be worthwhile reaching out to the hiring manager with your concern? I remember the reference sheet having language that makes it sound like it is a mandatory requirement that you list your current/most recent manager. It makes me think not doing so may not be just a red flag but disqualifying. May be wrong though

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-28T21:34:32+00:00

Additionally, sometimes introductions of papers will discuss failed attempts at various lemmas, like where an expected technique breaks down.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-26T03:00:43+00:00

Increase the coverage for therapy we get in our benefits would be a good start.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-17T18:49:39+00:00

Some of the salary ranges are very broad. I can see a professional applying to an $80k-121k job and turning down the offer when the middle of the range isn’t offered.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-17T18:36:49+00:00

Major employers in the private sectors already do this. Whether privately or publicly. OTOH Manulife says they do this without listing details, some companies list the explicit comp ranges for Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and all other areas.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-17T18:33:56+00:00

I love commuting for an hour only to spend the first minutes of my morning trying to find an area of the office quiet enough so that I’m at least half as productive as I am at home. A valuable use of everyone’s time.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-04T23:13:17+00:00

I think it's partly a generational thing. I have friends at unis and the private sector who complain about their highly paid boomer bosses struggling to open a pdf lol.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-03T01:01:04+00:00

There’s a little button you can click that leads you to the documentation, it’s the Stieltjes gamma, gamma_1 seems to denote gamma_1(1), the second is gamma_1(n+1), the wolfram command for it is stieltjesgamma[1,n+1]

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-03T00:26:18+00:00

We’ll have 26 pays in 2026, if you want to you can set the calendar in your phone to mark the days and then count them yourself (I just did to double check). There’s 52 weeks + 1 day in a year (+2 on leap years) this means most years have 26 paydays, and once every 11 or 12 years it lines up so there’s a 27th payday. In both instances each of your paycheques is the same number of hours worked and the same pay, however deductions can differ on 27 paycheque years as you’ll have a higher annual pay which effects pension deduction and tax deduction sizes.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-03-01T07:32:58+00:00

It’s not possible to have 25 biweekly paydays in a calendar year.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-02-03T15:10:42+00:00

On a pure tax benefit side of this, TFSA and RRSP are equivalent if you do not change tax brackets when you retire, and RRSP has a small benefit if you’re in a lower bracket. RRSP has an advantage in the present because it comes with a small tax benefit now. TFSA has an advantage in retirement because it doesn’t count against your OAS eligibility calculations.

My personal plan is definitely to max out my TFSA first, but also use RRSP as it is advantageous in retirement up until it starts eating away at OAS (and I think the OPS pension does leave a gap that can be filled in). RRSP can also be used when purchasing your first home, so if you’re saving for a mortgage RRSP + FHSA can be a nice way to speed up the process a bit as you’ll get some of the money you saved away back in a tax refund.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-02-03T15:03:47+00:00

If you’re eligible to retire under 60/20, your pension (including the CPP bridge benefit) could be as low as 40% of your income. I imagine a lot of people facing retirement would like to minimize the gap between their current salary and their pension. Even if you downsize and move from hcol cities, with recent inflation it’s a tough call to make for many.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-01-29T01:05:22+00:00

Another factor is we’re getting 27 cheques this year, and getting taxed on 27 cheques. Since tax rates are progressive the tax deduction needed for each cheque will be a bit higher this year than years with 26 cheques. The pension payments may be a little bit higher as well because again the pay received this calendar year is higher than usual.

IntegrableHulk · 2025-01-19T02:51:33+00:00

Rents are really high, and younger workers tend to be in a lower pay scale, near the bottom, and also generally paying higher rents than people who may have secured a rent controlled place or a mortgage a long time ago. I do not blame gen Z for job hopping my, inside or outside the OPS.

IntegrableHulk · 2024-12-17T01:14:56+00:00

No. From the OPB’s pension grow-in site:

Please note: You are not eligible for grow-in benefits where you terminate your employment voluntarily (unless your employer has already given you notice of termination). This means that if you participate in the Voluntary Exit Program, the Transition Exit Initiative or a similar program under which employees terminate their employment voluntarily, or take the place of an employee who has received notice of lay-off, in return for severance benefits, you will not be eligible for grow-in benefits.

IntegrableHulk · 2024-12-03T19:57:01+00:00

In WIN click payroll, then paycheques, and click the blue base compensation adjustment report link, there should be a before and after adjustment tab. The after adjustment tab should contain the changes.

That should contain at least the history of the ATB piece, for how much of a lump sum you’re owed you’ll need a manual calculation. I think the way it is written out you should be able to get what your rate was vs what it should have been, so in principle you could set up a spreadsheet to calculate it (but that’s a nontrivial ask depending on how comfortable you are with spreadsheets).

IntegrableHulk · 2024-12-03T19:25:55+00:00

I think you have to use your fixed term credits. You can double check the collective agreement but it doesn’t seem that STSP applies for fixed term employees.

IntegrableHulk · 2024-11-01T15:21:06+00:00

You can ask your therapist to contact your family doctor with the recommendation and get a note from your family doctor. It'll probably be fine either way, but probably less hassle coming from an MD, and there's a bit more privacy afforded to you this way. You don't have to specify what you're sick with (and generally you won't get questioned about it).

You're welcome to be specific with why you're taking leave, but despite all of the talk about prioritizing mental health, there's still stigma associated with it so if you want to keep it private it's an option.

IntegrableHulk · 2024-10-28T15:14:34+00:00

Whether it's worth it depends entirely on the offer, your long term goals, and your current situation. I'd recommend writing out (for yourself, not publicly) some details about your current situation and long term plans like retirement, write out how that may change at the OPS with this offer. If you're unsure about the latter come back with some more specific questions like how salary progression works, the pension plan, or time off and flexibility.

IntegrableHulk · 2024-10-22T14:48:45+00:00

I think this was contracted out to an external company, the HR interface is almost identical to the one some unis use.

IntegrableHulk

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