You AUNP Update on Benefit Increases!

August 11, 2022

Hello AUNP members,

The AUNP Board is pleased to report that Covenant Health (CH) has decided to extend Nurse Practitioners (NPs) a one-time personal leave increase. This decision on the part of the employer has resulted from the positive relationship that AUNP has built with CH and illustrates again the collaborative approach that CH has taken towards NPs as valued employees.

The one-time top-up is intended to provide fairness to NPs during the bargaining period and is not intended to amend the terms and conditions on an ongoing basis. Future benefit decisions are part of ur ongoing collective bargaining process. Meanwhile, the following details will come into effect:

• CH will increase personal leave days for eligible NPs from six to ten. The amount added to personal leave banks will be 31 additional hours (which will be prorated for part-time employees). Eligibility will be based on position status as of July 1, 2022.
• Any NP employee who commences or transfers to an eligible position after July 1, 2022 will receive an additional 23.25 hours in their personal leave bank.

AUNP continues to advocate for NPs employed by CH, recognizing that the benefit situation in CH is somewhat different than that of AHS. CH employees receive slightly less in the way of HSA credits (and CH is not able to increase those at this time), however the benefit plan premiums are all paid by the employer. Since all NP employees of AHS and Covenant Health are members of AUNP, any changes to wages or benefits are managed through negotiations between the employers and the union. All topics related to salary, benefits, and other working conditions are part of the ongoing collective bargaining process and questions should be forwarded to AUNP directly. Please stay tuned for updates from AUNP to remain informed about our progress in collective bargaining.

If you have questions regarding AUNP’s activities on your behalf, please reach out to us at [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]. Our team will bring forward any concerns to the most appropriate individual. We look forward to hearing from you and to incorporating your feedback as we build our unified approach to advocacy.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support for your AUNP.

Anne Summach, AUNP President

Lesley Lapierre, AUNP Vice President, Bargaining Committee Chair