Construction Labour Relations

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEE & FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

CEFAP

Notices:
In accordance with a resolution of the Membership and Council at the November 7th, 2007 Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously carried a motion to adjust the rate of hourly dues for the Construction Employee & Family Assistance Program (CEFAP) and Audiometric Testing Program, effective December 1st, 2007.

CEFAP contributions be decreased from 2.5¢ per hour to 2¢ per hour for hourly rated personnel, and from $3.75 per month to $3.00 per month for salaried personnel, effective December 1, 2007.

There be a “holiday” from Audiometric Fee remittances effective December 1, 2007, until August 31, 2008, or such earlier date as the Board shall determine that ending the fee remittance holiday is appropriate in light of incurred expenses relative to the Audiometric contingency fund levels.

For the full notice, please click here.

In Business

Wilson Banwell and Associates has been delivering Employee and Family Plan services to CLR member employees since November 2001 with a number of people in our industry already contacting them for assistance.

CLR receives information on affected employees from Contractors who make remittances to the plan as outlined in the CLR negotiated collective agreements. From the data received we create a master list of those people eligible for benefits pursuant to the Plan Rules and Eligibility Criteria. Our list of eligible employees has been running in the order of 35,000 people. This list is then sent to Wilson Banwell so that they can determine eligibility for benefits from amongst those people contacting them for services.

With this approach, people can contact Wilson Banwell and access services in confidence. Our organization and contributing organizations are not informed of those people who access the Plan. People who would like to access the plan should contact:

Wilson Banwell and Associates at:
English: 1-800-563-1642
French: 1-866-398-9505
Hearing Impaired: 1-888-384-1152
any time of the day or week
Internet services are available at www.wilsonbanwell.com

Making CEFAP Work - Communication

CEFAP’s goal is to provide assistance to people to help find solutions to stressful personal issues. By doing so, the Contractor not only helps the employee with a personal problem but hopefully also reduces risk for a potential safety or productivity issue. Truly, a win-win scenario.

In order to facilitate use of the program effective communication is essential. This communication starts with input we receive from Contractors. We have been requesting data on employees as outlined in our Data Export Guide and for the most part this is working well. This data is required so that we can create a master eligibility list. Without being entered into our master eligibility list Wilson Banwell will not know if an employee and their family are eligible for benefits. Receiving this information along with the remittance payment in a timely manner (15th of the month following the remittance month) is important.

If we can provide you with any assistance to help in creating the required information in an electronic format please contact our offices. By utilizing an electronic reporting format we can handle large amounts of data without a large amount of administrative support.

Description of Professional Services
[Acrobat Format]

Newsletters
Winter 2007
[Acrobat Format]

Member Remittance Form
[Acrobat Format]

Non-Member Remittance Form
[Acrobat Format]

Export Guide
[Acrobat Format]
** Updated
January 1, 2007 **

Rules and Eligibility Criteria
[Acrobat Format]

Voluntary Participation Agreement
[CLR Members] [CLR Non-Members]

Also we have available promotional materials such as program brochures, fridge magnets, posters, and wallet cards. These have been sent out to Contractors for distribution to employees. Circulation of this material to employees is an important communication link. Should you require any additional promotional material please contact us.

Look forward to a brief video being produced that can be shown at employee orientations and meetings. More to follow!

Program Benefits

Wilson Banwell provides counselling and guidance for a broad range of personal problems which may be causing distress. These will include marital or family problems, relationship problems/conflicts, stress, depression, financial and legal difficulties, problems with alcohol or drug use, gambling, and many others.

A unique feature of this plan is that CEFAP will pay up to five hundred dollars for an eligible employee (or family dependent) to attend an approved clinical rehabilitation program to deal with an alcohol or drug problem. For example, in Alberta, this will cover fees to attend most AADAC residential treatment programs for up to six weeks. Wilson Banwell, the employee, and the treatment center, work together to determine the need to participate in clinical rehabilitation.

One of the key benefits available through Wilson Banwell is Critical Incident Stress Debriefing should an unfortunate worksite critical incident occur. Wilson Banwell has a team of specialists available to come to a worksite to assist people in dealing with the stressful impact of a worksite critical incident.

While we believe we have structured a leading edge range of services available through Wilson Banwell we are always open to suggestions to add others or improve those offered. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any suggestions for improvement.

Orientation Workshops

Wilson Banwell has available a brief orientation to their Employee and Family Assistance Plan services. This workshop is designed to inform jobsite supervisors and job stewards about the workings of the plan and the range of benefits available. The workshop can be delivered at a project site or other contractor facilities.

We have seen this orientation workshop delivered and the information was well received. It can be delivered in about 45 minutes to one hour including time to address questions. Please call our offices to make arrangements.

Voluntary Participation

CEFAP welcomes participation from Contractors for employee groups in addition to those covered by the construction agreements negotiated by CLR. This could be for unionized crafts working in fabrication shops, maintenance, or other construction sectors. Also, a Contractor can participate for staff employees. All your various groups of employees could then access the same plan for EFAP benefits. Several employers have already taken advantage of this opportunity.

For voluntary participation, an employer must have a bargaining relationship with one or more of the Alberta Building Trade Unions. For forms to apply for voluntary participation please contact either one of our offices.