Local 196 will be holding a
Local General Meeting on March 9, 2021
via ZOOM.
(Login information for meeting sent via email and available in DMS registration).
Time: 1800-2000h
Meeting is open to all Local 196 members.
Please register for the meeting via DMS.
Meeting to include:
Reposted from una.ab.ca
By United Nurses of Alberta, January 22, 2021
“Members of United Nurses of Alberta are advised to make a request immediately to use their accumulated overtime and vacation.
Article 8.01 (c) of the UNA Provincial Collective Agreement states that “Overtime may be accumulated and taken in time off at a mutually acceptable time at the applicable premium rate. Time off not taken by March 31 in any given year shall be paid out unless otherwise mutually agreed. Such request to carry over lieu time shall be submitted by the Employee in writing prior to March 31, and shall not be unreasonably denied.”
Article 17.03 (c) states that notwithstanding Article 17.03(a), which says all vacation accumulated in one year must be taken during the next year at a mutually agreeable time, “an Employee may be permitted to carry forward a portion of unused vacation to the next vacation year. Requests to carry forward vacation shall be made in writing and shall not be unreasonably denied.”
Because of the pressures from COVID-19 facing all Alberta public health care employers, few UNA members have had the opportunity to use their accumulated overtime and vacation.
Because of the same circumstances, UNA members who ask to use overtime or vacation days now may be denied their request.
So it is extremely important to apply to use vacation as soon as possible if employees hope in the event they cannot use their overtime or vacation time to have those carried over as allowed by Article 8.01 (c) and Article 17.03 (c).
UNA urges employees to speak with their manager immediately and give them a written request about using accumulated time as soon as possible. If an answer is not forthcoming from your manager, contact them and ask again.
Keep a record of your discussion with your manager and any response you receive. In the event of any dispute, this will help UNA assist you in ensuring you are able to carry forward this additional time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your UNA Local Executive or Labour Relations Officer at 1-800-252-9394.”
PLEASE CHECK YOU UNA EMAIL FOR INFORMATION RE: AN UPCOMING ZIMBRA EDUCATION MEETING ON JANUARY 19, 2021 FOR LOCAL 196 OFFICE REPS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
Registration is via DMS under “Events-> Local”
Please refer to this post on una.ca for information re: the transition from FirstClass to Zimbra if you are having difficulty logging into your email or DMS.
United Nurses of Alberta’s offices in Calgary and Edmonton will be closed from 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 until 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.
For emergencies requiring a UNA Labour Relations Officer during this period, please contact 587-998-3721.
UNA Email Transition
Starting Dec. 28, 2020, UNA’s email system will be shut down and inaccessible until Dec. 31 while we transition to a new system. Any messages sent to @una.ca email addresses during this period will not be accessible until 2021.
Local 196 Education and Communication committees are seeking your input!
Please visit the survey link below!
Please note: If you completed the survey via the link in the Local e-newsletter, this is the same survey. Please do not complete the survey more than once.
Survey closes December 15, 2020.
Local 196 will be holding a
Local General Meeting on December 8, 2020
via ZOOM.
(Login information for meeting sent via email and available in DMS registration).
Time: 1745-1930h
Meeting is open to all Local 196 members.
Please register for the meeting via DMS.
Please ensure you login with your full name when joining the zoom meeting.
Meeting to include:
-review of (interim) Local 2021 budget
-Local policies & procedures
-Local bylaws
A Local AGM and Local elections must be held in person. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the Local is deferring the Local AGM (and term elections for Local executive and committee positions) until public health restrictions are lifted. The Local AGM will be held as soon as reasonably possible once pandemic directives allow.
For the 2021 budget, the Local Executive shall pass an interim 2021 budget and share will Local members. Once an AGM can be held, the budget can be ratified by the Local membership at that time.
Click the link below to view the November edition of Local 196’s e-newsletter:
Local 196 UNA e-newsletter: November 2020
The Local newsletter was sent via MailChimp with updated member contact information from Provincial UNA Office. It was sent to personal email addresses only. If you did not receive our newsletter, please update your contact information in UNA’s DMS system and email local196exec@una.ca to be added to our subscribers list. You don’t want to miss out!
Local 196 will be holding a
Local General Meeting on December 8, 2020
via ZOOM.
(Login information for meeting sent via email and available in DMS registration).
Time: 1745-1930h
Meeting is open to all Local 196 members.
Please register for the meeting via DMS.
Please ensure you login with your full name when joining the zoom meeting.
Meeting to include:
-review of (interim) Local 2021 budget
-Local policies & procedures
-Local bylaws
A Local AGM and Local elections must be held in person. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the Local is deferring the Local AGM (and term elections for Local executive and committee positions) until public health restrictions are lifted. The Local AGM will be held as soon as reasonably possible once pandemic directives allow.
For the 2021 budget, the Local Executive shall pass an interim 2021 budget and share will Local members. Once an AGM can be held, the budget can be ratified by the Local membership at that time.
(Re-posted from una.ab.ca)
In a political and labour relations environment characterized by a wholesale attack on public health care and health care workers by the Kenney Government, it comes as no surprise to United Nurses of Alberta that workers have responded with job action to defend the health care system and their own jobs.
UNA supports the health care workers who are defending the principle of public health care and opposing the efforts of the Kenney Government to undermine the public health care system and destroy thousands of jobs. UNA members will not do the work of other union members.
UNA members have the right to express their support for their co-workers on their own time and UNA will encourage them to do so. At this time no decision has been made on whether UNA will join the job action.
The Government of Alberta has created this crisis in the midst of a global pandemic when it should be supporting health care workers who are risking their lives to keep Albertans safe.
UNA urges the Kenney Government to put its plans for radical restructuring of health care aside during the pandemic and work calmly for reconciliation with workers throughout the health care system.
UNA will be communicating regularly with its members through its internal communications channels until this situation is resolved.
For more information, see Information for UNA Members and Locals about wildcat and illegal strikes.
Reposted from una.ab.ca (originally posted October 26, 2020 07:13)
In the current political and labour relations environment, there is a high possibility of wildcat or illegal strikes. Local Executive may be approached by members with a question or concern related to ongoing speculation regarding potential illegal strike action by other unions. Members and Local Executives should review Procedure 25 – “Support by UNA and its members in the event of Job action by other workers.” The Procedure is available in the UNA app and the Policy and Procedure Manual.
In addition, the following are examples of common questions and answers.
Will we join the other unions if they take strike action?
The members of United Nurses of Alberta will determine when and how to undertake job action. UNA members are strongly encouraged to join picket lines and support marches and protests when they are off duty and on their breaks.
I do not want to cross the picket line. Am I required to do so?
Unless the United Nurses of Alberta is on a legal strike, you are legally required to report for scheduled shifts, unless you have a valid reason – eg: sick leave, personal leave day, etc. However, Occupational Health and Safety allows an employee to refuse to work if it is an unsafe situation. All UNA members will have to carefully examine the situation and determine if it is safe to go to work. Nurses should consider who is on strike, the state of cleanliness of the facility, etc.
I do not want to replace someone who is on strike. Am I required to do so?
You are only required to work your scheduled shifts. If you are approached to work additional shifts or to pick up shifts as a casual employee, you should ask who you are replacing and trust the caller is telling you the truth. If you are told you are replacing someone who is on strike then you should decline to accept that shift. If the Employer mandates you to report to work then you must report to work and you must be paid overtime. However, the Employer must minimize the use of mandatory overtime, and should an Employee believe that the Employer is requesting the Employee to work more than a reasonable amount of overtime, then the Employee may decline to work the additional overtime, except in an emergency, without being subject to disciplinary action
Can the Employer ask me to perform work that I believe would normally be performed by someone who is on strike? I don’t want to be a scab replacement worker. Am I required to perform that task?
An Employee has the right and should refuse to perform all or some of the duties and responsibilities of another employee who is participating in a legal strike. The decision of whether or not a strike is legal is not made by the Employer, but rather by the Labour Relations Board.
If the Labour Relations Board rules a strike to be illegal, you have the right to advise the Employer that you are uncomfortable performing the assigned work and to request the Employer have someone else (ie: management) perform the work. Ultimately, the Employer may give you a direct order to perform a task and then you must ‘work now, grieve later’.
I am a member of my Local Executive and my members very much want to join a wildcat strike at my work site. What should I do?
You should contact an Executive Officer for further assistance and advice at 1-800-252-9394.
