Tuesday, June 15, 2010.
Nurses’ meeting recommends acceptance of new contract
EDMONTON - Over 500 United Nurses of Alberta members voted today to take a settlement in their contract negotiations to a province-wide vote of UNA members. The delegates voted to recommend members approve the proposed contract.
The mediator’s recommendations from Tom Hodges include salary increases of 0%, 0% and 4% in each of three years of a new contract. In the second year there would also be a “two percent productivity increase allocation to wage rates in recognition of efficiency gains flowing from the Regularization of Hours project”.
“Our nurses big concern in these negotiations was to increase nurse staffing for our patients,” says UNA President Heather Smith. “This agreement would prevent Alberta nurse salaries from falling behind, which is important in attracting nurses to Alberta jobs, but even more importantly there are provisions to maintain and enhance nurse staffing.”
The recommendations contain no rollbacks to any current provisions in the nurses’ agreement. They also include an increase in notice of layoff from 14 to 28 days
Three additional Letters of Understanding will contribute to workforce stabilization:
• Joint Workforce Regularization Process
• Commitment to Hire Alberta Nursing Graduates
• No Overall Reduction in (RN/RPN) Nursing Hours
A fourth Letter contemplates: "Facilitation of Retiree Enrollment into the Alberta Retired Teachers Association Benefit Plan"
The “workforce regulation” is a plan to convert casual and some part-time jobs to regular positions and reduce overtime and costs.
Nurses will be voting province-wide on the proposed agreement on June 30th, 2010.
The collective agreements cover over 24,000 Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and some other allied employees of Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, the Alberta Cancer Board and other smaller employers.
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