(a) Shift schedules shall be posted 12 weeks in advance. (b) In the event of unusual circumstances, the Employer and the Local may agree in writing on a shorter time period than 12 weeks. (c) The Employer shall provide the Local with a copy of each Shift schedule upon request.
When does the 12 weeks start?
UNA has always taken the position the 12 weeks starts when the last person picks.
How much time is reasonable to allow people to pick their lines?
The Joint Committee Contract Interp Document, October 2011 states:
Q84. What does reasonable mean?
What is reasonable can vary on a case-by-case basis. Because of its inherent flexibility, it is very difficult to find a meaningful guideline, beyond the suggestion that the Parties should consider the circumstances on a case-by-case basis, and not make decisions based solely on some set standard or rule.
Reasonable might be an hour for some members, 24 hours for others, and longer for others? It will depend if someone is off sick or if someone is on vacation or not? Most units have shared/posted the rotation prior to line selection especially when looking at selecting over summer. Staff are encouraged to let someone know what their selections would be, if they're not going to be there to pick.
UNA believes a two-week period is reasonable for all staff on the unit to pick. It is unreasonable for any member to purposely hold up the process.
Who is responsible to contact staff off on leave?
For line selection, the Manager should make every effort to contact the members on leave, but this is not outlined in the collective agreement.
Sometimes the Local Executive is the more appropriate party to contact a member, especially if they are off on sick leave. I would suggest perhaps this needs to be a joint function to ensure staff are notified.
There are no arbitration decisions to refer to.
SCHEDULING (ROTATION CHANGE/TRANSITION):
The standard practice for AHS when introducing a new rotation would be for the Scheduling Office and/or the Scheduling Liaison to sit down with the Manager of the unit and assess the schedule to ensure a smooth transition from the old rotation to the new.
As per Article 7.04 Schedule Changes, the Manager can adjust the employees schedule with more than 14 days notice, without penalty. If less than 14 days is given, then the first shift of the change is paid at 2X the basic rate of pay.
As part of the process, the employer should also ensure that the transition schedule is contract compliant. If someone identifies an issue with the transition period, the first step is to go to the Manager and address their concerns.
If the issue is not resolved, they should call the UNA office.