FAQs

Q:  I am at the 5 weeks of vacation entitlement according to my length of service, but I have been on a leave and have only earned enough vacation hours for 3 weeks, what am I entitled to?


A:  When a nurse is on an unpaid LOA for a portion of, or for the entire accrual year, and the vacation weeks to which the nurse is entitled to is reduced accordingly, the nurse is only entitled to what they have actually earned. Therefore, the nurse may only book her/his vacation weeks that they have earned by
seniority.  After all the vacation appointments are completed, the nurse may request an unpaid LOA in accordance with Article 24.  The reason for this is because the nurse is only entitled to the vacation that she/he actually earned and if they were allowed to book unpaid LOAs at their vacation appointment, it would be a misuse of seniority benefits.


Q:  Can I take a heavy week on my rotation and count it as  one week vacation? 

A:  If the shifts in that week add up to  more than half of your EFT, some of those shifts will be moved out by your manager and you will work them elsewhere (determined at another time outside vacation planning).  If you continue to want all those shifts off then you will be marked off for two weeks and the manager will make sure that you have a two week vacation stretch with your full EFT within those two weeks. 


QI am a part-time nurse and I always pick up additional available shifts above my EFT.  Why don't I get additional vacation hours to reflect all these additional shifts I worked?

A:  Any additional hours above your EFT entitlement are considered vacation money earned and not vacation hours earned.  This additional money will be distributed equally amongst your weeks of earned vacation.  Remeber you earn the dime, not the time!

Q:  When do I file a grievance if the Collective Agreement has been violated?

A:  You have 15 days from the time of the occurance to file.  This is stated in Article 12.