Your AUNP Update on Benefit Increases!

August 8, 2022

Hello, AUNP members,

The AUNP Board is pleased to report that Alberta Health Services (AHS) has decided to include Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in their one-time personal leave bank and health savings account top-up. This decision on the part of the employer has resulted from the positive relationship that AUNP has built with AHS and demonstrates the level of goodwill that AHS has towards NPs as valued employees.

The one-time top-up is intended to provide fairness to NPs during the bargaining period; future benefit decisions are part of the collective bargaining process which is currently ongoing. Meanwhile, the following details will come into effect:

• AHS will load four personal leave days into the banks of NPs entitled to personal leave as soon as possible. These days will be available for use until the end of the next fiscal year (March 31, 2023) and will expire after that, as is usual for personal leave days. Future personal leave amounts will be negotiated during collective bargaining and should be in place by the time the additional days expire.
• Eligible NP employees will receive two years of retroactive credits for the 2021 and 2022 benefits years, which were deposited into the corresponding Health Spending Accounts as of August 7, 2022. NPs will be eligible for these retroactive credits if they were members of the NUEE plan on July 1, 2022, and the calculation is based on their salary and FTE as of that date, as well as their start date.

AUNP continues to advocate for NPs employed by AHS and Covenant Health. 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. 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 directly 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