The new 2010 Collective Agreement includes transitional changes to amalgamate the former Health Regions, and the Cancer Board into a single employer. Nurses who hold separate positions in different Regions (or the Cancer Board) can have only a single position with a maximum Full-time Equivalency (FTE) of 1.0. You cannot have regular hours more than full-time.
What happens to my current two jobs?
You need to meet with Human Resources and the Labour Relations Officer to determine which will be your home site and what your hours of work will be, if there are different hours of work in the positions. (1920.75 is normal full-time hours for most AHS sites, it is 2022.75 hours at the UAH, AHE and some others). The schedule must be worked out so that it does not exceed full-time, 1.0 FTE.
If your jobs have a total FTE of more than 1.0, you must decide which shifts to drop, from which site. But it has to result in a reasonable shift pattern, acceptable to the employer.
Which is my home site? Why is that important?
Normally, your home site would be the one where you have the highest FTE. For casuals it would normally be the site where you were first employed. However, there may be circumstances that dictate otherwise. Your home site determines what hours of work you will have, and if any local conditions apply to you. The home site is also where you place your request on the vacation planner and where your benefit plan is administered
The current schedules worked in two or more jobs, will be maintained for up to one year, unless there is a rotation change at one of the sites.
For this period of time no additional premiums or overtime can be claimed for continuing a shift pattern that is non compliant.
In any case a contract compliant rotation must be in place by June 30, 2011.
You must meet with your employer (with union representation) to agree on a contract compliant schedule. If there is no agreement the employer can set the schedule, however, the overall FTE may NOT be reduced.
What if I work casual with one employer and part-time at another?
For three months, after June 30 (until September 30) you continue as if you had two separate employers.
After three months, everything should stay the same, EXCEPT that the designated days of rest are determined at your home site schedule. The designated days of rest ALSO apply wherever you work for Alberta Health Services. The Employer can check if working extra casual hours attracts an overtime premium or the premium for working a designated day of rest.
What if I work casual with more than one (formerly separate) AHS employer?
For three months, after June 30 (until September 30) you continue as if you had two separate employers.
After three months, the shifts are all worked as one casual relationship and attract overtime or other premiums accordingly. Again, the Employer can check if working casual hours attracts a premium. Casuals must be paid overtime if they work more than 147.25 hours averaged over a four week period, starting from the first day of the pay period as designated by AHS.
What happens to the sick leave banks?
With two jobs, an employee has two sick leave banks. When the jobs are amalgamated so are the banks, but only to the maximum of 120 working days.
And vacation banks?
Vacation banks are also amalgamated, so all vacation hours accrued in separate jobs now go into a single bank.
How will your vacation entitlement (step on the scale) be calculated?
If your are working 0.5 FTE at one site and 0.5 FTE at another site, the new amalgamated job will also amalgamate your years of service, for the purposes of calculating vacation entitlement. However, it cannot exceed what the entitlement would be at full-time, 1.0 FTE.
When I amalgamate two jobs, where am I on the salary increment scale?
You have two part-time jobs with different Health Regions. They now must be combined into a single AHS job. To calculate when you go up to the next increment on the salary scale you combine all the hours you worked in both jobs from April 1, 2009 until June 30, 2011. These hours are then used to calculate movement on the salary grid (you need 1711.5 hours to move up the scale).
You should carefully review hours worked in all regular positions and provide proof to the employer when they reach the 1711.5 hours to move up the increment scale. No one can exceed more than one increment in one year. (Note only hours which are normally included in increment calculations can be used including: regular hours actually worked, union leave, leaves of less than 30 days, sick leave and WCB, but excluding overtime hours). |
