January 2015
Volume 4, Issue 1
@WORK
Bad Weather, Roads and Emergency Leave
Winter has decided to bring weather to Edmonton and area in a dramatic
fashion this year after a warmer than usual October. Many staff have
questions about the Emergency or Disaster Conditions provisions under
Special Leave. This article address the Special Leave an employee might
use if unable to attend work due to the weather or poor road conditions.
The language relevant to this leave can be found in Article 18.04, Part A,
Article 10.04, Part B, or Article 14.04, Part C.
A claim for Special Leave cannot simply be made if you choose not to
attend work because of bad weather or poor road conditions. In order to
qualify for this leave, the roads you must use to travel to work have to be
closed by the local police force or the RCMP. If the roads in your area are
still deemed safe to travel (even if with caution), then you are expected
to come to work even if other roads in nearby areas are closed.
If there is a road advisory or warning (i.e. travel not recommended) that
affects your commute to work and you feel uncomfortable traveling in
these conditions, you may choose not to attend work. However, this
absence from the workplace will not fall under Special Leave. This can be
covered by other kinds of leave or you can request alternate
arrangements from your supervisor or manager. These arrangements
should be done prior to the beginning of your shift, if at all possible, and
would need to be approved. The options to be considered will vary from
position to position depending on the nature of your work. For example,
you might be able to work from home, make up the time, use your
banked time, use vacation time, etc.
Very rarely the University will be closed (announced by the Provost’s
Office) and support staff are not required to attend work during the
closure. Regular and Auxiliary employees are considered to be on leave if
they still have entitlement to Special Leave.
Inside this issue
Illness Leave ............................... 2
NASA Stewards ........................... 2
NASA LROs…….………...….…………….3
Help Me NASA ............................ 3
Executive Information………………..4
P AGE 2
Illness Leave
On January 1, 2014, reinstatement for Illness Leave (i.e. restoring your Illness Leave balance to the
full amount) moved from your anniversary date to the beginning of each calendar year. This means
that for most of you, your Illness Leave was restored on January 1, 2015. However, reinstatement is
not automatic. There are some conditions which will affect exactly when this will occur.
If you used some of your 2014 Illness Leave (for medical or dental appointments and the occasional
illness) but not all of it, then your Illness Leave was restored as of January 1, 2015.
If you are on an Illness Leave which began in 2014 and continues into 2015, the leave you are on is
actually from 2014. If you return to work and still need ongoing treatment (e.g. physiotherapy), those
appointments will be counted against your 2014 leave. If you come back to work before all the 2014
Leave is exhausted, you will have your entitlement to Illness Leave reinstated on your return. You will
then have access to your full Illness Leave in 2015.
If you were on an Illness Leave in 2014 and used your 2014 Leave all up and then return to work, you
will need to work ten consecutive days from the date of your return to full hours before your Illness
Leave is reinstated. “Ten consecutive days” means exactly that – you need to work ten full shifts
without an Illness Leave during those ten days. If you return on a gradual basis, the clock for
reinstatement will not begin ticking until you are working the full hours of your job, whatever those
are. If you return on a gradual basis and to work that is only assigned to you on a temporary basis
(i.e. rehab work), the clock will not start ticking even if you do get to the point in that work where
you are working your normal hours. You must have completed your rehab plan.
If you were on an Illness Leave in 2014 and either used it partially or entirely and are returning to
another job on a temporary or permanent basis, then the specifics of your situation need to be
addressed for you on an individual basis. If you are in this position, please contact the NASA office so
someone can answer your particular questions.
NASA Stewards
Back: Nadine Badry, Marie Simuong, Elizabeth Adolf, Rosi Johnson, Neil Purkess, David Lester, Caroline Lawson,
Lilian Campbell, Kim Koch, Leonard Wampler, Tyson Lazaruk, Jason Ritzen, Rod Loyola, Arlene Figley
Front: Markian Hlynka, Wally Haymour, Donna Coombs-Montrose
Missing: Quinn Benders, Lorraine Anthony, Kathleen Dean, Vivian Giang, Murray Jacobs, Kelly McDonagh,
Mary Murray, Ian Payne
NASA LROs
P AGE 3
L-R: Kathy Collins, Acting Director of Operations, LROs Joy Correia, Greys Echeverria,
Andy Lenz, Bryan Richardson
Help Me NASA!!!
Help me NASA is a new feature in the @Work newsletter that is debuting in this
issue. The purpose of this segment is to seek input from NASA members so we can
provide a response to common questions that arise from the collective agreement
and your workplace. For this issue, we’ve come up with a few general questions
that are often asked by newly hired University of Alberta support staff. In future,
we hope to continue this column with questions from members to address specific
inquiries. To submit questions to be considered for this column, please email:
[email protected] with “Help me NASA!!!” in the subject line.
For immediate assistance with any personal issues or concerns please contact your LRO.
How much are my dues? How often do I pay them?
Your dues are 0.09% of your pay, up to a maximum of $12 per cheque. This means the most
you will pay in one month is $24. You pay this whether or not you are a NASA member (i.e.
signed up, active, voting member).
Do I have to become a member of NASA in order to be employed by the University?
No, you do not have to become a member of NASA, but you will still be required to pay dues
as your terms and conditions of employment will be governed by the collective agreement. If,
however, you wish to have a say in how NASA operates or be able to vote on any NASA
related matter (including upcoming bargaining) you do need to be an active, voting member.
Can I negotiate any of my own ‘personal’ terms of employment, like my hours of work or a raise?
No, you cannot because your terms and conditions of employment are based upon the
provisions of the collective agreement, which are negotiated by NASA. Individuals in a
unionized environment cannot negotiate any terms and conditions of their employment. This
includes such things as modified hours of work, flexible work arrangements, raises more often
or larger than provided for in the collective agreement or additional vacation time.
Can I get a copy of the Collective Agreement?
Absolutely, if you would like a collective agreement, you can contact the NASA office and a
hard copy will be provided to you. For convenience, you can also view the collective
agreement online at: https://www.nasa.ualberta.ca/collective-agreement
CAMPUS MAIL
NASA
1200 College Plaza
8215 - 112 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1
Phone: 780-439-3181
1-877-439-3111
Email: [email protected]
http://www.nasa.ualberta.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/supportstaffunion
https://twitter.com/UnionNASA
Editor: Deborah Stewart
@ WORK is published monthly
NASA
Our University Works Because We Do!
If you have any questions about articles in this
publication , or other work related concerns,
please contact your LRO.
NASA LROs
Kathy Collins
(Acting Director of Operations)
780-989-6179
[email protected]
Joy Correia—780-989-6186
[email protected]
Greys Echeverria—780-989-6182
[email protected]
Andy Lenz—780-989-6177
[email protected]
NASA Executive
Rod Loyola, President
(2014 – 2016)
Robert Simpson, Vice-President
(2013 – 2015)
Elizabeth Johannson, Treasurer
(2014 – 2016)
Elizabeth Adolf, Secretary
(2014 – 2016)
Lilian Campbell, Bylaws Chair
(2013 – 2015)
Donna Coombs-Montrose,
Membership Chair (2013 – 2015)
Vacant, Grievance Chair
(2014 – 2016)
Leonard Wampler, Reps Council Chair
(2014– 2015)
Bryan Richardson—780-989-6185
[email protected]
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