Special open period for UNA members on leave of absence in January 2015

United Nurses of Alberta members employed by Alberta Health Services who have chosen in the past not to enroll in their workplace benefits plans will have the opportunity to enroll between Monday, January 5, 2015 and Monday, January 19, 2015.

UNA members on leaves of absence during those weeks in Jan. 2015 are not eligible to participate in the open period.

However, the employer has agreed to make special arrangements for employees on leave during the open period in Jan. 2015. Employees on leave during those two-weeks will be placed on a list maintained by the employer.

After the employee has returned from leave, they will have a two-week open enrolment period starting their first day at work to opt into their workplace benefits plans.

It is the employee’s responsibility to contact the Human Resources Contact Centre within this two-week period to indicate if they wish to opt into the workplace benefits plans. The employer will not remind the employee to do so.

If the employer can confirm that the employee contacting them after returning from a leave of absence was indeed on leave during the Jan. 2015 open period, the employer will facilitate their enrolment in the workplace benefit plan.

Employees on leave will be made aware of this process through an “Open Enrollment” communication sent via email by the employer to all employees, active and on a leave of absence.

An improvement in the new Provincial Collective Agreement includes the move to a single benefit plan for all UNA members instead of the confusing array of legacy plans left over from the days of nine health regions.

UNA has ensured that while a single plan was available to all members, superior benefits that had been won in some regions were maintained for all. A list of benefits is available at una.ab.ca and in the 2015 UNA Nurses’ Planner.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your UNA local executive or Labour Relations Officer at 1-800-252-9394.