Bring union representation to Employer meetings

According to Article 23.06 of the UNA Provincial Collective Agreement, Employees can have a union representative present for any meetings being held with the Employer that could lead to disciplinary action. When an Employer calls an Employee into a meeting that could possibly have disciplinary aspects to it, the Employer needs to inform the Employee of this right to union representation. The article states that Employees also need to be provided a reasonable advance notice of the meeting, which, if circumstances permit, shall not be less than 24 hours. An Employer will often say that a union representative is not necessary, however, UNA strongly encourages Employees to take a union representative with them to provide support, take notes and provide assistance following the meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your UNA local executive or Labour Relations Officer at 1-800-252-9394.

Off Planner Vacation Requests

According to Article 17.03(b)(ii) of the UNA Provincial Collective Agreement, when an Employee submits a request in writing after April 30 for vacation, the Employer shall indicate approval or disapproval in writing of the vacation request within 14 days of the request. Each request submitted by an Employee must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If your manager says they are not approving any “off planner” or “ad hoc” requests, then they are not assessing each request. Such blanket denials are arbitrary and contravene the requirements of the Collective Agreement. In addition, it is not the responsibility of an Employee to find coverage for their vacation. The manager or their staffing office is responsible to do so. If you believe a vacation request has been denied unreasonably, please contact your UNA local executive or Labour Relations Officer at 1-800-252-9394.

Ensure you are receiving your Education Allowances

According to Article 26.01 of the United Nurses of Alberta Provincial Collective Agreement, Employers will acknowledge educational credentials from recognized post-secondary institutions and use those credentials to establish the Employee’s basic rate of pay. Check Article 26 of the Collective Agreement for a list of courses, diplomas and degrees eligible for an education allowance. An education allowance for a Baccalaureate Degree shall be payable after the Employee provides their Employer with satisfactory proof of their degree. Allowances for education shall be paid from the date the Employee provides proof of qualifications to the Employer retroactive to the date the Employee completed the requirements for the qualification or from the date of hire, whichever is later, to a maximum of 12 months. Unfortunately, however, experience shows that Employees are not always paid the allowances to which they are entitled even after they have informed the Employer. As a result, at the time they inform the employer of their entitlement to an education allowance, UNA members are encouraged to retain a date-stamped document or a copy of the email they sent to establish when and how they informed the employer. Education allowances are not cumulative. An Employee should expect to only receive the highest allowance for which they are eligible. UNA members with any questions of concerns should contact their UNA local executive or Labour Relations Officer at 1-800-252-9394.

How to check if you’re receiving your Education Allowances

United Nurses of Alberta members covered under the Provincial Collective Agreement are urged to regularly check their pay stubs to ensure they are being paid education allowances to which they are entitled. UNA members report frequent failures by AHS to pay education allowances that recognize courses, diplomas and degrees outlined in Article 26 of the contract that Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses are eligible to receive. Employees will need to check their pay stub, also called a Paycheque in the e-People system. Here are the steps to go through on e-People, found on the staff portal of the AHS website, to access this information: Œ Go to e-People and sign in Œ Open the pull-down menu under Self Service Œ Go to Payroll and Compensation Œ Go to View Paycheque The View Paycheque page will show a list of recent pay stubs. Employees should open a copy of the pay stub they wish to review. The simplest way for an Employee to check if they being paid the correct amount is to compare the amount you are paid on their “Paycheque” to their step on the Salary Appendix in the Collective Agreement. If the rate of pay shown on the Paycheque is listed on the Salary Appendix, they are not receiving the educational allowance. If the Employee holds a Baccalaureate degree and their rate of pay is not listed there, subtract 1.25 from their rate of pay and check if that amount is in the Salary Appendix. If it is, they are receiving the correct rate. UNA members who discover they aren’t being paid an allowance for which they qualify, contact your UNA local executive or Labour Relations Officer as soon as possible at 1-800-252-9394.