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Revised BaRgaining Factsheet 2

November 2013

Promotions, Transfers and Vacancies

dOing the devOn shUFFLe
Alberta Health Services and the other employers subject to the UNA Provincial Agreement
opened the 2013 round of bargaining with a proposal that would bring major changes to
the way jobs are posted and vacancies filled to allow the rights of existing employees to be
ignored or downgraded. In bargaining, the employer dropped some of the offensive changes
it was seeking, but added others. This revised bargaining factsheet reflects the latest changes as
of November 2013. These include changes to Article 14, Promotions, Transfers and Vacancies.
The Employer proposes:
1. To give the employer the right to hire externally
whenever it pleases, even if there is a qualified internal candidate. Right now, under Article 14.01 of the
Provincial Collective Agreement, the Employer must post
job openings and hire a qualified internal candidate if
existing employees apply. The Employer wants changes that would permit it to hire any qualified candidate it
wishes, even if there was another internal candidate who
was qualified to do the job. [Pages 29-30 of the Employer
Ingoing Non-Monetary Proposal.]

2. To delete the requirement to indicate hours per shift

and shifts per cycle. This would allow the Employer to
unilaterally change daily hours. [Page 30 of the Employer
Ingoing Non-Monetary Proposal.]

3. To add a new section that would allow the employer to change all FTEs on a worksite by adding a new
schedule and forcing employees to accept new FTEs
to match the schedule or face position elimination. This
change, under the heading Decreasing or Increasing FTE,
would effectively permit the employer to reintroduce The
Devon Shuffle, the subject of three successful arbitrations fought by UNA more than a decade ago in which
the employer tried to lay off all employees on a single
worksite as a way to force them to accept a new schedule with changed FTEs. If the employer wishes to change
the number of staff or overall FTE of a worksite, the new
proposed language would allow the employer to: ask
employees, in order of seniority, if they wish to increase or
decrease their FTE to match the revised staffing and FTE
prior to posting vacancies in accordance with Article 14
or issuing position elimination notices in accordance with
Article 15.02. [October 23 Employer Proposal.]

This is the second in a series of revised factsheets on UNAs 2013 round of bargaining with Alberta Health Services and the other employers
subject to the UNA Provincial Collective Agreement. The Employer is seeking significant rollbacks in several areas important to Albertas nurses

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